Assisted Suicide bill (UK) must be killed off.

The Times (UK) published, on May 14, their position on the Kim Leadbeater assisted suicide bill. Times view: Assisted dying bill must now be killed off.

Warnings about the bill are growing louder by the day. MPs must now vote down these ramshackle and dangerous proposals.

Scarcely has a piece of legislation been about to become law amid such dire warnings. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will return to the House of Commons on Friday, when MPs will ­decide whether to allow the legalisation of assisted dying to proceed. In the earlier stages of this bill fears were voiced about the lack of safeguarding to avoid abuses such as coercion. Legal experts ­expressed their worries that the poorly drafted text would provide a starting point for eventual mission creep in assisted suicide rather than ­defining strict limits on its use.

Since the bill was given the initial approval by MPs last November, these fears have only grown. Some are due to the haphazard nature of the ­legislation: such a fundamental change in the role of the state should not have been conducted via a ­private member’s bill. It has been uneasily guided by its originator, the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. Too often she has failed to engage or show understanding to those with legitimate concerns, ­instead adopting a recalcitrant attitude. But it is not too late for MPs to think again.

If any further proof were needed that the bill is a ramshackle affair, sorely lacking in precision, MPs should look to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The professional body this week changed its mind on the bill, expressing “serious concerns” about the proposed legislation as drafted in ­relation to mental illness.

The college is ­worried that the physical effects of mental illness (such as anorexia) should not be used as a pretext for ­assisted suicide. MPs should be particularly alarmed by the fact that the college does not ­display an institutional aversion to assisted dying; its official position is neutral. Given that psychiatrists would play a critical role in the process, with one required on each panel adjudicating an ­application for assisted dying, the objections of their college should be terminal for the bill.

Dr Trudi Seneviratne, the college registrar, ­stated on Wednesday that it was Ms Leadbeater’s bill in particular that was the problem. She also warned that Britain simply did not have enough consultants to deal with the workload that could be generated by assisted suicide. With the government estimating that more than 7,500 terminally ill people could seek state support to end their lives each year, the burden on the NHS would be substantial.

Ms Leadbeater’s bill has been through a turbulent legislative journey. The decision to loosen safeguarding measures by removing the oversight of a High Court judge in each case may have been well-intentioned in trying to ease the strain on the legal system, but it has spooked MPs who bought into Ms Leadbeater’s assurances that there would be no slippery slope. Although her bill passed the House of Commons with a majority of 55, there are indications that support is ebbing away. This newspaper has reported that 42 per cent of MPs polled say they will vote against the bill with 36 per cent in favour.

Some MPs may be minded to use Friday’s vote to improve the proposed law but sticking plaster will not do on such a fundamental matter. Ms Leadbeater has shown herself unwilling to ­listen to the concerns of experts and her bill’s dangerous flaws remain unfixed. The Royal College of Physicians also expressed concern this week about its deficiencies, saying changes were needed to ­protect patients and medical staff. A BBC survey of GPs suggests a majority are opposed.

It is striking that Sir Keir Starmer will not be present for the votes. The prime minister, who has tacitly endorsed assisted dying, will be away at a summit in Albania. It is his fault that assisted dying was relegated to a private member’s bill, with all too predictable results, presumably to distance Labour from any backlash. That hasn’t worked: voters believe the bill is government policy. This a bad bill beyond repair. It needs to be killed off.