Sir Keir Starmer has promised Dame Esther Rantzen that he will allow a vote on assisted dying in the next parliament if he wins the next election.
The Labour leader made the pledge following recent interventions by the broadcaster, who recently revealed she had joined the Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.
ITV News filmed a phone call between the pair, in which the Labour leader told the campaigner and TV presenter that a Labour government would allow MPs time to debate and vote on a change in the law, which has been brought into the spotlight in recent weeks.
Sir Keir told Dame Esther he was “personally in favour of changing the law” – something he revealed at the end of last year.
“I think we need to make time,” he told her. “We will make the commitment. Esther, I can give you that commitment right now.”
Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
In Scotland, although it is not a specific criminal offence, assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to murder or other charges.
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A bill to make assisted dying legal in Scotland will come before Holyrood in the coming weeks.
Asked whether he would like a vote within five years of the general election, Sir Keir told ITV: “Oh yes, definitely.
“I think Esther would agree with this. For people who are going through this or are likely to go through it in the next few months or years, this matters hugely and delay just prolongs the agony.”
It comes after Dame Esther, who…
