The second reading of the Assisted Dying Bill is on Friday. Most MPs are publicly undecided…
The bill is led by Kim Leadbeater who has been on the morning round trying to bat away concerns that there won’t be enough time to scrutinise or debate the issue. Kim says there is already “a huge amount of public debate going on” and Friday is the “start of a parliamentary process”…
While MPs are begrudgingly forced to stay in town on a Friday, 130 of them have asked to speak during the debate on the bill. Seeing as it is a Private Member’s Bill the debate must last less than five hours. 150 seconds for each MP to speak then…
Four former PMs (Truss, Johnson, May, Brown) have publicly opposed the bill. 155 MPs have so far expressed support with 111 against and 24 saying they will abstain. The rest are undecided. The public, meanwhile, is in favour of the principle of assisted dying – support which drops when they are polled on the specifics…
An unwhipped vote which no-one has dared to predict, the expectation is that most LibDems and SNP MPs will vote in favour, most Tories against, and Labour split broadly down the middle. Despite Wes Streeting’s best efforts wags privately expect it to go through narrowly…
Guido couldn’t help but notice that the campaign group backing Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill, Dignity in Dying, is ramping up its online advertising game. In the past 90 days alone, they’ve splashed out an eye-watering £181,122 on Facebook and Instagram ads, while since 2018, the total spend has topped £650,000. Someone certainly found their credit card…
Dignity in Dying’s filings with Companies House reveal that in 2022 and 2023, the group hauled in £1,283,466 from ‘High Value Donors’—though exactly who these donors are or how many there are remains shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, their sister charity, Compassion in Dying, also run by the same CEO, does disclose major donors to the Charity Commission. The two are practically joined at the hip, sharing office space, staff, and various resources…
One of the more notable donors to Compassion in Dying is the “Church Street Trustees,” who handed over £204,009 in 2022 and another £100,000 in 2023. The body is registered in Jersey and allegedly appeared in the Panama Papers back in 2016. Should the Bill pass, it’s not clear whether any private companies will be involved in the provision of this service. Though the public deserve the right to know…
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s private member’s bill – The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – was published last night. Here’s a summary of how assisted dying would work under this legislation:
- For people terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or fewer.
- For legal adults resident in England or Wales and registered with a GP for at least 12 months
- Mental capacity to make an informed, voluntary choice to end their life required.
- Two signed witnessed declarations required confirming their wish to die.
- Two doctors must confirm eligibility – specialist and mental capacity assessments if required.
- A seven-day gap is required between doctors’ assessments.
- A High Court judge to review each case, hearing from at least one doctor.
- An additional 14-day reflection period after the judge’s ruling required. Shortened to 48 hours in the case of imminent death…
- 14 years in prison for those found to have coerced or deceived others into dying.
- Disability and mental illness are not valid criteria for eligibility.
A 21-day process. Simon Case told ministers not to make their views on the bill known – fat chance of that. They have been busy staking out their positions on media rounds and through briefings. Miliband says this morning he’ll support the bill…
Wes Streeting’s opposition is significant to as-yet undecided MPs. Starmer now says: “I’m not going to be putting any pressure whatsoever on Labour MPs. They will make their own mind up, as I will be. Obviously a lot will depend on the detail.” He supported assisted dying back in 2015…
Leadbeater is telling worried MPs to vote for it anyway so the Commons can debate it more. The second reading is subject to a free vote on 29th November…
Labour candidate for Batley & Spen Kim Leadbeater is clearly trying too hard to relive her by-election victory of July 2021 – she’s using banners from it this time around. Voters have been treated to material saying: “Vote Kim Leadbeater: Thursday 1st July“. Clumsy – she did forget to sign in as an MP when she was first elected…
The posters don’t have the proper imprint either. Leadbeaters’ team have now had to go around Batley with sharpies to obscure the date and slapping imprint stickers on the banners. Are they going to have to do it every time it rains?
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”
