Palliative and social care needs fixing before assisted dying debate, PM says

David Lynch, Press Association Political Correspondent

Palliative care and social care needs to be fixed before assisted dying is considered in the UK, Andy Burnham has said.

The Prime Minister was asked to outline his position on assisted dying, as MPs are set to again debate a Bill designed to legalise it when Parliament returns after its summer recess.

His intervention on the debate marks a change of direction from his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, who was personally in support of legalising assisted dying, though did say that changing the law was a matter of conscience for MPs.

Mr Burnham told reporters: “I take the view that that debate – and I don’t say that there shouldn’t be a debate at some point about those issues – personally, I think there’s something that needs to happen first.

“That is the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care.

“I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.

“That’s the way I kind of see this, and that’s the position that I will stick to.”

Mr Burnham’s comments came as he announced plans to reform the social care system, with the view to create a national care service and to reach a broad political consensus of how to fund it.

In 2024, just before the first Commons vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Mr Burnham told BBC Manchester he would “probably vote in favour of it”.

When he was previously an MP he abstained from a 2015 vote on another Bill to legalise assisted dying because of concerns over safeguards and people feeling under pressure.

But he said he had “family experience in the nine years since that has changed my view”.

He said: “I think we do allow people to suffer and families to suffer too much.”

He caveated his support as being for the principle of assisted dying and insisted he would want a requirement before any new law was implemented that hospices would be “properly funded and sorted out”.

He has also however, spoken of his Catholic background and how “Catholic social teaching underpins my politics”, even though he is “not particularly religious”.

The Catholic Church is staunchly opposed to assisted dying legislation.

Mr Burnham’s views chime with several prominent parliamentarians, including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who have called for a greater focus on improving palliative care before assisted dying is legalised.

Jess Asato, a Labour MP and opponent of the Bill, welcomed Mr Burnham’s position.

The Lowestoft MP said: “Most MPs concerned about the assisted dying Bill have always been clear that their concerns aren’t about the principle, but the practical implications. We have a responsibility to consider the safety of introducing such a flawed Bill into a broken and failing care system.

“There can be no meaningful choice and no dignity at the end of life if we don’t have a palliative care system that provides basic support for the vulnerable, and an affordable social care system that gives everyone dignity at the end of their lives.

“It’s really welcome that the PM recognises this and has committed the Government to fixing our broken social care system.”

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