Britain’s controversial Bill to legalise assisted suicide has been thrown into doubt after its Labour MP sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, agreed to postpone implementing the law until after the next election.
It would mean that any introduction of assisted suicide legislation in England and Wales wouldn’t happen until 2029, with fears voiced by some supportive MPs that the Private Members Bill could be abandoned altogether.
Ms Leadbeater, the architect of the Private Members Bill, is thought to have agreed to delay the Bill after civil servants responsible for drafting amendments told her the legislation was unworkable, The Telegraph reports. Ms Leadbeater has proposed pushing back the deadline for implementation from two years to four.
Prior to her decision to delay it, it is understood that the Government expressed concerns about the timeline for implementing assisted dying, as reported by the BBC.
“I cannot pretend that I’m not disappointed about extending the commencement period,” Ms Leadbeater told MPs on the committee.
It comes amid repeated warnings that the law would overburden both the NHS and the judiciary, prompting speculation that a new Government may abandon plans to establish any assisted suicide regime. The Bill passed by 55 votes in November, with 330 MPs backing it, and 275 opposed – and has since been the subject of scrutiny at a Committee of MPs selected by Leadbeater to examine the legislation line-by-line.
Britain’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting, an opponent of the Bill who warned of its impact on the NHS, claimed that the Labour MP had backed down after Ministers told her that the law could not be delivered in two years.
Mr Streeting told a Guardian event: “It would have been really easy for her to say ‘hang on a minute, four years, that’s twice as long as two years, and will this ever happen.’ Instead what she’s done is work constructively with ministers, listened to the arguments about how long it would take to implement, and she’s shown willingness to compromise.”
The Committee scrutinising the draft Bill finished its work in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with Ms Leadbeater’s proposal to delay its roll out in England accepted. The future of the legislation also looks uncertain in Wales, as this week MPs on the Bill’s committee voted 12 to 11 in favour of MP Sarah Olney’s amendment to require Senedd approval before any changes take effect in Wales.
It follows Senedd members rejecting a motion calling for a law change last October. Ms Olney previously said with regard to Wales: “We should respect that choice and not impose it on them, in whole or in part, without their consent.”
Ms Olney told the committee that it was a concern that doctors involved in the assisted suicide process would be paid for their assessments.
“The concern is that people motivated by a profit incentive would be incentivised to push that at the expense of options for the patient that don’t attract the same level of reward. That’s the issue. It’s not a binary decision in the way that most treatments are,” Olney told Leadbeater.
On Tuesday, the Committee’s rejection of an amendment to require proxies and witnesses to have mental capacity was rejected, sparking debate online. Ms leadbeater argued that it would be impractical to check for mental capacity, and that their role would be “functional.”
Some critics of the Bill claim that it is bad for the image of the Labour Party, including Rachael Maskell, a Labour MP who has opposed the Bill. Ms Maskell said it was her view that the delay could damage the party electorally, stating: “We can see how divisive it is – it would be incredibly bad for Labour to manage this at the same time as an election.
“When people hear the detail of the Bill, they are horrified. This is bad for politics and the poor people who may be victims of this process. I am really fearful about where this is going to place us.”
Among the dozens of amendments tabled to the Bill by Ms Leadbeater, one of the most controversial was the removal of the High Court safeguard. Over 60 MPs specifically cited the High Court safeguard as being a key reason why they voted for the Bill at second reading, with its proposed removal causing alarm. The committee heard that it would be “impossible” for the High Court to rule over every case, as previously proposed.
The committee has heard extensive evidence from medical and legal experts warning that legalised assisted suicide risks undermining end-of-life care and poses a serious risk to the most vulnerable.
A spokesman for Leadbeater said: “Kim hopes and believes the service can be delivered more quickly if it becomes law later this year.” He insisted that assisted suicide could still happen, and that 2029 was a “backstop.”