Sir Keir Starmer has refused calls from dozens of his own MPs to delay the crunch vote on assisted dying later this week.
A letter from 52 Labour backbenchers, first published by The Independent, had appealed to the government to allow more time to scrutinise Kim Leadbeater’s backbench bill to allow assisted dying.
But Sir Keir’s rejection of their request means that the final crunch third reading vote will go ahead on Friday as planned, before it is sent to the Lords.
The news comes as polling revealed voters’ concerns that disabled people will face coercion to end their lives early if Ms Leadbeater’s bill becomes law.
The findings by Whitestone Strategy showed that almost two-thirds (63 per cent) agree that some disabled people may feel a sense of responsibility to access an assisted death if they feel they are a burden on family, friends or society, while only 16 per cent disagreed. This rose to 67 per cent for people polled who are disabled.
Asked about the request for a delay in the final vote while he was at the G7 conference in Canada, Sir Keir, who is a long-time supporter of introducing assisted dying, said: “It is a matter for individual parliamentarians, which is why I have not waded in with a view on this publicly, and I'm not going to now.”
But he added: “It's coming to a conclusion. There has been a lot of time discussing it, both in parliament and beyond parliament.
“It's a really serious issue. My own position is longstanding and well known in relation to it, based on my experience when I was chief prosecutor for five years, where I oversaw every case that was investigated.”
The letter from 52 MPs had warned: “This is not a normal Bill. It alters the foundations of our NHS, the relationship between doctor and patient, and it strips power away from Parliament, concentrating it in the hands of future Health Secretaries.
“MPs will be arriving at Westminster on Friday morning without sight of the final version of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.”
They noted: “The sponsor of the Bill [Ms Leadbeater] has proudly stated that it has received more time in Parliament than some Government Bills have. And yet; MPs have had the opportunity to vote on just 12 of 133 amendments tabled at Report Stage.
“Just fourteen percent of MPs have been afforded the opportunity to speak in the chamber on this Bill Several movers of amendments haven’t been able to speak to the changes they have laid.”
Supporters of the Bill noted that all 52 signatories were opponents of the legislation and have already voted against it.
If, as expected, the Bill passes its final stage on Friday it will then go to the Lords where peers have warned that they intend to heavily scrutinise the legislation.
Among the issues still facing questions is the problem of potential impacts on those with disabilities and coercion to end lives early among the vulnerable.
The Whitestone polling was commissioned by the disability group Not Dead Yet UK and also found that six in ten agree that some disabled people could be coerced into assisted suicide by others who do not have their best interests at heart. This rises to 64 per cent for people polled who are disabled.
It also found 57 per cent agree that disabled people who struggle to access the support they need, given the current state of the NHS and social care funding, may be more likely to seek assisted suicide instead while only 17 per cent disagree.
Former Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who intends to impose the Bill in the Lords, said: “We are constantly being told that this bill is not for disabled people and there will not be coercion. Coercion is an absolute reality in today’s society, and in every jurisdiction where assisted dying has been brought in, it has expanded either through legislation, the court system or practice. It is very easy to see that this route will be suggested to disabled people who will be made to feel a burden.
“We are at a critical moment in disabled people’s lives. The benefit system is there to support the most vulnerable in society. With this bill a figure has been put on the cost of our lives. Those in the medical profession will now be under pressure not to look at best treatment. They will be forced to decide what is the cheapest option."
Watch in full: Rayner faces Philp in PMQs as Starmer returns from G7 summit
Why Starmer risks making the same mistake as David Cameron when it comes to Europe
Starmer hints he will back assisted dying Bill ahead of crunch vote
Starmer delays ‘appalling mess’ HS2 after ‘litany of failure’ under Tories
Watch: Rayner and Philp in furious clash over immigration and housing
Rayner says £1m a day wasted under Tories’ failed migration plans in PMQs clash: Live
