With merely six days remaining until Friday’s pivotal Commons confrontation regarding assisted dying, it is the detractors who are intensifying their efforts.
The fierce criticism of the proposal by Shabana Mahmood comes after a heartfelt and personal appeal from Gordon Brown urging MPs to dismiss the legislation.
While we were aware that the justice secretary is against the bill, she has unequivocally reiterated her stance. However, her critique, articulated in a letter to her constituents, is vicious.
Read more: UK on ‘slippery slope’ to ‘death on demand’, warns justice secretary
She refers to a “slippery slope leading to death on demand”. Harsh. The government should “never provide death as a service”, she asserts. Disturbing.
This directly contradicts Sir Keir Starmer, who attempted to de-escalate the tensions by urging cabinet officials, regardless of their perspective, to refrain from inflaming or attempting to steer the discussion.
Ms. Mahmood speaks, as have other adversaries, about the pressures faced by the elderly, ill, or disabled who believe they have “become too much of a burden to their family”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
She criticizes the “absence of legal protections” within the bill and the potential for coercion to end one’s life “by those harboring malicious intentions.”
Malicious intent? That represents a notable accusation from a secretary of state for justice and lord chancellor who has been encouraged by the PM to soften her rhetoric.
It is alleged that Sir Keir reprimanded Wes Streeting, the health secretary, after he publicly denounced the bill and examined the costs associated with its implementation.
Read more: Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?
Will the justice secretary be reprimanded by the leader? It’s somewhat belated for that. Detractors might also contend that Sir Keir’s indecision regarding the bill is responsible for cabinet ministers taking individual stances.
Shabana Mahmood is the inaugural elected Muslim woman to hold a cabinet position. Elected to the Commons in 2010, she was among the first Muslim women to become MPs.
In her letter to constituents, she expressed that her opposition to the proposed legislation is not solely based on religious beliefs but also on its implications for the state’s responsibilities.
Nonetheless, she is not the only prominent political figure driven by religious beliefs to vocally oppose Kim Leadbeater’s bill this weekend.
Gordon Brown. File pic: PA
Gordon Brown, raised in a parsonage and deeply influenced by his father, a Church of Scotland minister, articulated his opposition in a profoundly emotional article in The Guardian.
He recounted the anguish of losing his 10-day-old baby daughter, Jennifer, who was born seven weeks premature and weighed only 2lb 4oz, in January 2002, after she suffered a brain hemorrhage on the fourth day of her brief existence.
Read more: Gordon Brown says assisted dying should not be legalised
Mr. Brown stated that this tragedy solidified his belief in the significance and necessity of quality end-of-life care rather than advocating for assisted dying. His compelling perspective will likely have a substantial impact on numerous Labour MPs.
And what of Kim Leadbeater? She seems to be increasingly left vulnerable by the government, after initially being encouraged to pursue the assisted dying proposal after winning the private members’ bill lottery.
All of this will likely embolden Sir Keir’s detractors to assert that he appears ineffectual. It is, of course, a private members’ bill accompanied by a free vote, rendering the outcome on Friday uncertain.
However, the dramatic statements from both the current lord chancellor and the former Labour prime minister are significantly consequential, possibly decisive – and potentially embarrassing for a prime minister who seems to be losing command over the assisted dying discourse.
