Labour tempers flare over assisted dying as MP accuses peer of ‘hugely offensive’ remarks

Lord Falconer was accused of ‘offensive remarks’ over his claim that Shabana Mahmood’s opposition to the assisted dying bill is to do with her Islamic faith

A bitter new Labour war of words erupted on Monday over the role of religion in the plan to legalise assisted dying.

A senior Labour MP denounced Lord Falconer for claiming justice secretary Shabana Mahmood opposed the law change because it was against her Muslim faith.

Rachael Maskell, who also opposes assisted dying, called on Lord Falconer to say sorry for his “offensive and discriminatory” comments.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Independent, former Labour health minister Ben Bradshaw accused bishops in the Church of England of being “out of step with Anglicans”, criticising the church for “giving the impression that there is only one Christian view on assisted dying”.

Ms Maskell’s intervention came after Lord Falconer said cabinet ministers should not impose their religious beliefs on others in their objections to assisted dying.

Lord Falconer, an ally of Sir Keir Starmer, said the justice secretary had “religious and spiritual reasons” for being opposed to assisted dying.

“I think she’s motivated – and I respect this – by her religious beliefs. They shouldn’t be imposed on everybody else,” he added.

Asked on Monday by the BBC to respond to Lord Falconer’s remarks, Ms Maskell, who has spoken in the past of her strong Christian faith, said: “I find it highly offensive and discriminatory… and he should apologise for making such comments.”

The row comes as temperatures are flaring on the Labour benches about the assisted dying bill, which MPs will vote on this Friday.

Sir Keir’s government is split on the proposed legislation, with the prime minister choosing not to reveal how he will vote while health secretary Wes Streeting plans to oppose it.

Rachael Maskell called for Lord Falconer to apologise (PA Archive)

In a letter to constituents revealed on Sunday, Ms Mahmood – the most senior Muslim politician in Britain – said she was “profoundly concerned” by the proposed legislation, ahead of a historic Commons vote this week.

She argued “the state should never offer death as a service”.

Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said on Monday that while surveys show consistent public backing for assisted dying, it had less support among those with religious views.

He said approximately two in three voters favour a change in the law, with one in six against, and little change in polls over the last 40 years.

It meant assisted dying was “less controversial” than historic decisions to abolish capital punishment and legalise gay marriage where the public’s view at the time had not been so clear.

Prof Curtice added: “It is fair to say that those with religious views, Christian, Muslim or whatever, are less keen on assisted dying than the rest of the population.”

Mr Bradshaw, who is a practising Anglican, told The Independent that the decision of leading Christian figures to speak out on this topic “reflects repeated mistakes from church leadership on a whole range of issues”.

It comes after the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby claimed the legalisation of assisted dying would be dangerous, suggesting it would lead to a slippery slope where more people would feel compelled to have their life ended medically.

“Whether its treatment of divorcees, women in the church, the role of LGBT people in the church – in every single instance, the church has been on the wrong side of history. For me, it’s the final straw,” Mr Bradshaw said.

“I just thought it was odd for the bishops to speak out so strongly on an issue where once again they’re so out of step with Anglicans as a whole.

“And not least – just a week after this major scandal exploded to rock the Church of England, exposing the historic failure of the church leadership to deal with the problem of child abuse.”

While Mr Bradshaw said he, as a practising Christian, believes in the sanctity of life, he said he sees nothing in church texts that “dictate that we should use all the wonders of modern science and medicine to keep people alive when they have a terminal illness and we should make them suffer”.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been described as potentially the biggest change in Britain’s social laws since abortion was legalised in 1967.

Rachael Maskell said Lord Falconer’s comments were ‘hugely offensive’ (PA Media)

With days to go before the historic vote, the result is on a knife-edge, with backers of the bill believing they have enough support, while opponents believe they may be able to block it.

In a significant intervention on Friday, Gordon Brown came out against the legislation, arguing instead for the establishment of a commission on improved palliative care.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn, transport secretary Louise Haigh and energy secretary Ed Miliband have all said they will back the law.

As well as Ms Mahmood and Mr Streeting, education secretary Bridget Phillipson and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds have said they will reject the legislation.

Many of those opposed to a law change have voiced concern about the potential for coercion and mission creep, and say the legislation has been rushed.

A group of 29 faith leaders united to oppose the bill in a joint letter on Sunday, saying they were “deeply concerned” that it could open up the possibility of “life-threatening abuse”.

MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the private member’s bill, has described it as the most “robust” in the world, with “three layers of scrutiny” in the form of a sign-off by two doctors and a High Court judge.

It would also make coercion an offence with a possible punishment of 14 years in jail.

The bill, which covers England and Wales, states that only terminally-ill adults with under six months left to live and a settled wish to die would be eligible.

Lord Falconer was contacted for comment.