Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Abstain on Assisted Dying Bill

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced he will abstain from the upcoming House of Commons vote on the assisted dying bill to avoid unduly influencing the debate. In a letter to Labour MPs, Burnham stated that while he holds personal views on the issue, it is a matter for parliament to decide. He emphasized that his role is to lead a government that implements the will of parliament regardless of whether the law is changed.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is scheduled for its second reading on 11 September. The legislation proposes allowing adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, provided they receive approval from two doctors and an expert panel. This version of the bill follows a previous attempt led by MP Kim Leadbeater that ran out of time in the last parliament after peers tabled 1,200 amendments.

Burnham also wrote to his ministers, warning them against trying to influence the process. He confirmed that collective responsibility would be set aside, allowing frontbenchers to vote or abstain as they wish. He requested that ministers reiterate the government's neutral position at the dispatch box and avoid public debate regarding the bill's implications for their specific departments.

One report notes that Burnham is Roman Catholic. Another report mentions that as Mayor of Greater Manchester, he previously supported the idea in principle but later expressed concerns about introducing the change before improvements were made to palliative and social care.