British Broadcasting CorporationSir Keir Starmer said he was “extremely pleased” MPs will have the opportunity to debate and vote on euthanasia.
The Prime Minister confirmed that his government would remain neutral on the issue and that his MPs would be given a free vote without having to follow party lines.
Asked how he would vote, Sir Keir said his views were “well known” but he would look at the details of the proposed bill.
Sir Keir supported a euthanasia bill in 2015 and told reporters last year: “I personally do think there is a case for changing the law”.
On Thursday, Labor MP Kim Leadbeater confirmed she would introduce a bill to give terminally ill patients in England and Wales the right to choose to end their lives.
Leadbeater’s bill hasn’t been finalized yet, but it could be something like Lord Falconer’s proposal This will provide terminally ill adults who are six months or less old with medical assistance to end their own lives.
Assisted suicide – deliberately helping another person end their life – is currently banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
Assisted dying is often used to describe a situation in which a terminally ill person seeks medical help to obtain lethal medications that they themselves take.
Backbenchers don’t usually get time to debate their bills in Parliament, but Spen Valley MP’s proposal will be allocated space After she finished first in the ballot.
The bill is expected to be formally introduced to parliament on October 16 and is likely to be debated within weeks.
Even if approved in a preliminary vote, the bill will still be debated at further stages of the parliamentary process.
It will also need the consent of the House of Commons and the House of Lords before becoming law.
Baroness Tenny Gray Thompson, a former Paralympian and Lords crossbench, said she was concerned about “the impact on vulnerable people, disabled people, coercive control and the ability of doctors to diagnose for six months”.
However, broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who has been calling for change, welcomed the bill, telling the BBC: “All I ask is that we be given the dignity of choice.
“If I decide my life is not worth living, please allow me to seek help to die. It is a choice.”
The founder of Childline, who has lung cancer, said last year that she had joined Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas.
Getty ImagesSir Keir, when asked about the issue during a visit to Liverpool, said: “I promised Esther Lanzen before the election that we would provide time for debate and voting, but it would be a free vote and obviously that opportunity has been It appears now.
He added: “I’m delighted… that I was able to fulfill my promise to Esther Lanzen.”
Asked whether he would vote to change the law, Sir Keir said: “I think my view is well known. Obviously I will look at the details of the proposed legislation. But the government will be neutral.”
It’s difficult to predict how lawmakers will vote on Leadbeater’s bill.
MPs last voted on the subject nine years ago, and the makeup of the House of Commons has changed significantly since then.
In 2015, lawmakers voted 300 to 118 to defeat a bill that would have allowed some terminally ill adults to end their lives under medical supervision.
Sir Keir is among the MPs backing the change, while Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Education Secretary Bridget Philipson are all opposed to the bill.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting voted for it in 2015 but is understood to be “conflicted” on the issue.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Breakfast he would vote for the euthanasia bill, describing the current law as “cruel”.
