Concern over Kendall’s ‘truly chilling’ assisted suicide comment

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is at the centre of controversy over her public expression of support for legalising assisted suicide, following a comment she made to the BBC that has horrified campaigners.

Kendall told the BBC’s political editor, Chris Mason – although the comments were not broadcast – that part of the reason legalising assisted suicide was important was to give “choice and control” to families.

Kendall told the BBC last Thursday that she was strongly in favour of legalising assisted suicide, and she told Mason: “As more and more of us experience looking after our loved ones at the end of their lives, giving families, giving people, that choice and control is so, so important.”

Her comments horrified disabled campaigners and allies who are opposed to legalisation, as they suggest that family members should have a role in deciding whether someone should take their own life, if the bill becomes law.

They were described on social media as “truly chilling”, “very disturbing” and “pretty horrifying”, with one disabled women commenting on Twitter: “She talks as if she’s bringing out a range of soups.”

Caroline Richardson, an activist and member of the online Spartacus network of disabled researchers, said: “If indeed Liz Kendall is of the belief that families should be given any sort of control over assisted dying, then her role at the DWP is untenable.

“It may be that this is not actually her statement, but unfortunately it will be impactful to the debate, and appeal to those who see assisted dying as an alternative to family caring, social care, end-of-life care, palliative care and hospices, all of which are massively underfunded.”

Those campaigning for the legalisation of assisted suicide have repeatedly insisted that relatives will not be able to coerce a terminally-ill person into ending their life early, and that the safeguards in Leadbeater’s bill are, in her words, “the strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world”.

Kendall’s comments only became known because they were posted on social media by the Guardian’s highly-respected political editor, Pippa Crerar.

But Kendall’s comment about families does not appear in either the report that was broadcast on BBC’s News at Six or a written version that appears on the BBC website.

It appears that Mason may have shared a transcript of Kendall’s comments with Crerar.

The BBC said this morning (Thursday) that it was not unusual for lobby journalists to share the transcripts of political interviews.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Not every word said in an interview can always be included in coverage, for reasons of space and timing.”

Neither the Department for Work and Pensions nor Kendall’s parliamentary office had responded to a request to comment by noon today (Thursday).

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater finally published her terminally ill adults (end of life) bill last week, giving MPs just 17 days to digest the contents of the private members’ bill before they debate and vote on it next Friday (29 November).

Momentum appears to be with opponents of the bill, particularly because of concerns that the country’s NHS, social care and palliative care systems are in such a dire state that legalisation would be unsafe.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting, who says he will vote against the bill, has raised particular concerns about the quality of palliative care services.

Disabled people’s organisations last week delivered powerful statements opposing the bill, with Inclusion London warning that after “14 years of austerity and broken public services… choosing to die may seem like the only viable option”.

Picture: Liz Kendall being interviewed by the BBC’s Chris Mason

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