Dame Esther Rantzen has said she is “deeply disappointed” after Prime Minister Andy Burnham essentially halted a Bill to legalise assisted dying. In a heartfelt plea, the former TV presenter, who has terminal lung cancer and has become a leading campaigner for assisted dying, urged the PM to rethink his position and allow terminally ill adults “the dignity of choice”.
Burnham's Stance on Palliative Care
Mr Burnham said he believes palliative and social care need to be fixed before assisted dying can be considered. He commented: “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.”
The Prime Minister, who has previously indicated he had changed his view over the years to support the principle of assisted dying, said it is “very challenging” to introduce the wider debate in a context where people are not receiving that care.
Appeals from Terminally Ill and Campaigners
Sophie Blake, a 53-year-old mother who is terminally ill, warned dying people “don’t have time for these endless excuses and delays”. She said: “I ask you to please meet us, terminally ill, mentally competent adults, the only people eligible for this Bill, alongside bereaved families, to hear our stories, and then tell us that we still do not deserve choice.”
Lauren Edwards, the Labour MP who reintroduced the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to Parliament for debate in September, said improving end-of-life care and legalising assisted dying “must go hand in hand”.
Sarah Wooton, chief executive of the Dignity in Dying campaign group, added: “The Prime Minister is right to highlight that too many people are being let down by our health and care systems. So too are dying people, under a ban on assisted dying that both the public and MPs agree is forcing people to endure unimaginable suffering as they die, or take drastic actions at home and abroad with no upfront safeguards. Improving health and social care is essential, but will not remove the need for choice at the end of life.”
Dame Esther's Direct Plea
In a direct message to the Prime Minister, Dame Esther said: “Tragically, even the best palliative care in the world cannot guarantee the pain free dignified death we all hope for. So please, Prime Minister, allow the public and the MPs the dignity of choice they have asked for, and at long last pass the new law so that in future we, at the most vulnerable time in our lives can ask for assistance not to shorten our life, but to shorten our death.”
Burnham's Personal Reflection
Mr Burnham, who abstained from a 2015 vote on assisted dying due to concerns over safeguards, said he had “family experience in the nine years since that has changed my view”. He added: “I think we do allow people to suffer and families to suffer too much.” However, he caveated his support as being for the principle of assisted dying and insisted any new law must require hospices to be “properly funded and sorted out”.
The new Bill was brought forward after the previous one was passed by MPs but blocked by the House of Lords. Mr Burnham’s comments signal a change from his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of the earlier Bill in 2024.
