Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill has received a further blow after reports of “charged nervousness” during a press conference and suggestions that MPs may be ready to vote against the Bill at Third Reading.
Ali Fortescue, political correspondent for Sky News, reported that the “cheerful optimism” on display earlier in the campaign had turned into a “charged nervousness” at a press conference marking the completion of Committee Stage. She said “The message from those around Kim Leadbeater is that all is calm and well”.
“But the mood at the assisted dying campaign’s press conference today is different. The cheerful optimism that marked the last [press conference] has turned to a charged nervousness”.
Fortescue said the nervousness was justified because a number of MPs are feeling “jitters” due to concerns about safeguards and timeframes. Supporters of the assisted suicide Bill “should be nervous. There are jitters among a number of MPs I’ve spoken to who voted for the bill last time but are concerned about safeguards and timeframes”.
Concerns about removal of High Court safeguard
Fortescue suggested that MPs who voted for the Bill at Second Reading may be prepared to vote against at Third Reading, and join Reform’s Lee Anderson and former colleague Rupert Lowe, who publicly announced in February they would be changing their vote.
Responding to Leadbeater’s comment that she hopes MPs who voted against the Bill at Second Reading would change their mind, Fortescue said “The sense I get is the mood may be in the other direction”, citing the removal of the Bill’s flagship safeguard, High Court oversight, as the “main issue” for MPs who are considering whether to change their vote. The Independent reported that, during the Second Reading debate, 60 MPs identified the High Court judge safeguard as an important reason for their support, with a further 20 pointing to the necessity of “judicial oversight”.
Comments from several MPs confirm Fortescue’s remarks about the removal of the High Court safeguard being a key area of concern as Leadbeater attempted to position the replacement as “Judge Plus” and was resoundingly criticised for using what many saw as a deeply misleading term.
Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, condemned the removal of the Bill’s flagship safeguard for having “weakened the Bill”, and described its replacement as “a story for the birds”, saying “It’s fundamentally changed everything, generally is like the court, there’s no judicial oversight. The idea that it’s judge-led now is just, it’s a story for the birds, really, because it’s not judge-led”.
“You’ve got a judge who’s going to be a commissioner, and there’s no oversight on that commissioner now, because you’ve taken the commissioner, you’ve taken out the oversight from the actual chief medical officers. It has actually weakened the bill”.
Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael, a former minister who voted for the Bill, commented that he was no longer sure about voting in favour at Third Reading, and he would need to “give it some thought”. Another former minister, Sir David Davis, also said he would study the revised proposals before coming to a decision.
Labour MP Paul Foster, another who voted for the Bill, registered his own concerns about the removal of the safeguard, referring to it as a “game changer”, which meant he was now reconsidering his support for the Bill.
“The Bill as it stands is a mess”
Labour MP James Frith branded the Bill a “mess” saying “It is alarming that supporters of assisted dying are now presenting the flawed committee stage as an example of successful scrutiny”.
He added “The Bill as it stands is a mess, with significant issues of concern where there had been promises of scrutiny and improvement”.
Kim Leadbeater’s claims at the press conference that convincing a loved one not to take their own life is ‘coercion’ were also criticised. She said “Coercion, actually, if it does happen, happens the other way… because you don’t want your loved one to go”. Leadbeater made similar comments during the debate at Second Reading, when she suggested that the true source of coercion arose from family members who tried to prevent someone from choosing assisted suicide.
Responding to Leadbeater’s comments, actress and activist Liz Carr posted on X “I ‘love’ how suicide prevention has been twisted into a form of coercion by those who want to legalise assisted suicide. Their spin really does know no bounds…”.
After the press conference, former MP Caroline Ansell was also critical of the “spin” from pro-assisted suicide supporters, saying “Denial and spin by Bill supporters are designed to distract from very serious problems – both with the legislation itself, and scrutiny of it during the Committee stage”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “At the conclusion of the assisted suicide Bill’s Committee Stage, a disastrous press conference revealed its flaws and problems as Kim Leadbeater made a number of outlandish statements regarding the safety of her dangerous Bill”.
“As preparations begin for Third Reading, many are now recognising that introducing assisted suicide in England and Wales would be very dangerous, especially for those who are vulnerable. This fundamentally flawed Bill is completely unfit for purpose and it must be voted down by MPs”.
