Critics of the proposed Assisted Dying bill currently moving though Parliament have reacted with alarm at the prospect of replacing scrutiny from high court judges with an expert panel. The panels have been proposed as amendments by the bill’s sponsor, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, in a move she has described as ‘Judge Plus’.
But five MPs from her party who have opposed the bill issued a statement in response. Antonia Bance, Jess Asato, James Frith, Meg Hillier and Melanie Ward, said: ‘Many MPs were already deeply concerned about the removal of the high court oversight that they voted for.
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Now the bill’s supporters are proposing a civil servant should make decisions on life and death, working with a panel that doesn’t have to even meet the patient.
Currently, the bill details the requirement of the high court to approve the eligibility of each applicant that wishes to have an assisted death. This was put in place to ensure that the applicant ‘has not been coerced or pressured by any other person into making that declaration or application,’ the bill states. But Ms Leadbeater said replacing the need for high court judge approval in favour of a multidisciplinary panel of experts, would both remove the bottlenecks which may take place in family courts, and introduce new layers of scrutiny
‘Those panels would have a legal chair, but also include a psychiatrist and a social worker, who will bring their own expertise in assessing mental capacity and identifying any risk of coercion,’ she said. ‘In short, I’m proposing what could be termed “Judge Plus.”’
But it is widely believed that this latest move could prompt some supporters to switch their vote. Conservative MP Danny Kruger said high court authorisation was a ‘key safeguard’ to gain approval for the bill, and suggests that removing their involvement would prompt MPs who had initially voted for the bill to reconsider the decision. Reform MP Lee Anderson, who had previously voted in favour of the bill, was the first MP to publicly withdraw his support:
‘I support assisted dying, but this bill becomes less credible by the day. It looks like it’s being forced through at any cost, therefore I fail to see how I can support this bill at third reading.’