Archbishop of Canterbury warns of ‘slippery slope’ ahead of assisted dying legislation

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned of a “slippery slope” ahead of an assisted dying bill being officially introduced to Parliament.

Justin Welby told the BBC on Tuesday: “I think this approach is both dangerous and sets us in a direction which is even more dangerous, and in every other place where it’s been done, has led to a slippery slope.”

A Private Members’ Bill is due to be formally introduced to the House of Commons on Wednesday described as offering choice at the end of life.

After the formality of its first reading, the legislation is expected to face its first Commons test on November 29, the earliest date on which backbench bills can be considered.

If it clears that hurdle it will then face line-by-line examination in committee and further Commons votes before being sent to the Lords where the process begins again, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.

However it is possible that MPs could vote against it on November 29, as they did last time changes to the law were considered in 2015, preventing it going any further.

The Bill will be brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has said that any change in the law would be “potentially one of the most important changes in legislation that we will ever see in this country”.

Speaking to BBC’s Newsnight on Tuesday, the MP for Spen Valley said: “There has to be a change in the law, I’m very clear about that, but we’ve got to get the detail right.

“And for me, this is about terminally ill people. This is not about people with disabilities, it’s not about people with mental health conditions, it’s very much about terminally ill people.”

She told the programme that she would like to see a “timeframe” on the diagnosis of patients, and said she had been having meetings with medical organisations including hospices because she is “very keen to make sure that the medical professionals are involved in this conversation”.

It was put to Ms Leadbeater on the programme that she would want the bill to require “two medical professionals” and “a judge” to agree, to which the MP said: “Yeah, I think there needs to be medical safeguarding and also judicial safeguarding.

“And as many layers of that as possible to make sure that people are given this really important choice that I firmly believe people deserve when they are at the end of their life, but to make sure that it’s a robust process to get to that point”.

High-profile supporters of legalising assisted dying include Dame Esther Rantzen who is terminally ill and has pleaded with the public to write to their MPs to ask for “the right to choose, not to shorten our lives, but to shorten our deaths”.

The wording of the bill has not yet been published but some of those in favour have urged that it include those facing unbearable suffering as well as those who are terminally ill.

MPs will have a free vote in Parliament, deciding according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously supported assisted dying and made a personal promise to Dame Esther to make time for a debate and vote on the issue.

Sir Keir has previously said he is “personally in favour of changing the law” and supported a change the last time the issue was voted on in the Commons nine years ago.

Last week, the PM called the matter a “really important issue” and said any change to the law must be “effective” but he has insisted the Government will remain neutral in a vote.