Is the tide really turning against assisted dying?

As the Scottish parliament backed the general principles for assisted dying in a vote, reports suggested some MPs might be turning against the equivalent bill at Westminster, which will be debated in the Commons tomorrow.

- JOHN RENTOUL

No 10 announced that Keir Starmer will be in Albania for the European Political Community summit tomorrow, and so will miss the debate. The prime minister personally supports the bill, along with two-thirds of cabinet ministers, but the government is formally neutral on the subject.

Yesterday the Royal College of Psychiatrists withdrew its support for the bill, issuing a statement: “The RCP has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the bill as it stands.”

A BBC survey of GPs also found a majority were opposed, although it was not a representative sample. BBC News sent more than 5,000 GPs a questionnaire; “more than 1,000 GPs replied, with about 500 telling us they were against an assisted dying law and about 400 saying they were in favour”.

At the same time, it was reported that at least five MPs who previously abstained on the bill have decided to vote against it – although another two abstainers have decided to support it.

What will happen tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the bill’s report stage, which is when the committee formed to consider it in detail “reports” back to the whole House of Commons. There are likely to be votes on a few amendments to the bill, if the speaker judges that they have significant support among MPs.