Assisted dying bill 'flawed and dangerous' after changes, says group of Labour critics

Labour MPs opposed to assisted dying have called the bill "irredeemably flawed and not fit to become law" in a letter to their parliamentary colleagues, saying "significant new risks" had emerged during the scrutiny process.

- Jessica Elgot

The letter from six critics, circulated to all Labour MPs, including two select committee chairs, came as the scrutiny committee finalised changes to the bill, which will now return to the Commons in April for its final stages.

Major changes have been made to the bill since it was last voted on by MPs - the signoff by a high court judge has been removed and replaced by a panel of experts, including a psychiatrist and a social worker.

On Tuesday night, in changes that angered some of the bill's proponents, the bill's sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, changed the implementation period from two to four years - meaning that should the bill pass, no assisted deaths are likely to take place before 2029.

In the letter from MPs including the select committee chairs Meg Hillier and Florence Eshalomi as well as Antonia Bance, Jess Asato, James Frith and Melanie Ward, the signatories said that the promise the bill would be strengthened in committee "had not been kept".