Labour weighed backing assisted dying bill pre-election

"A leaked policy note commissioned by Sir Keir Starmer's office in 2023 - when Labour was in opposition - said legalising assisted dying for those with a terminal diagnosis would be "popular" with the public and warned it would not be "politically viable" to "do nothing on the issue". Opponents of assisted dying have suggested this calls into question the government's declared neutrality on the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, introduced by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater and currently going through Parliament."

"The paper then sets out a range of options from offering voters a general debate on the issue to a public consultation. The option which was presented most positively is that of a private member's bill - a piece of legislation introduced by a backbench MP. The note suggested it could be given government time for debate in Parliament and it assessed that this would give any legislation the best ch"

A leaked 2023 policy note commissioned by Sir Keir Starmer's office said legalising assisted dying for terminally ill adults would be popular with the public and warned that it would not be politically viable to do nothing. The note anticipated strong pro-assisted-dying campaigns during the 2024 general election and identified support among voters in areas Labour must win back. Opponents of assisted dying said the note called the government's declared neutrality into question, while Kim Leadbeater and Labour leadership denied party or government involvement in her bill. The note stated Labour did not have a party line but needed to decide how to approach legalisation and favoured a private member's bill.

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