MPs should continue to have a free vote on assisted suicide, PM says

Speaking with an assisted suicide campaigner Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that MPs should continue to have a free vote on assisted suicide.

Mr Sunak said, "when it comes to assisted dying it’s an issue on which people have strong opinions about, always have. But it’s important for everyone to understand, it’s not a party-political issue.

"It’s a free vote in parliament, governments don’t take a view, political parties don’t take a view and MPs vote according to their own conscience."

He continued, “parliament has debated it a couple of times in the last few years and had concluded the time wasn’t right to make a change in the law.

“But right now the health select committee is doing a report into it, a cross-party group of MPs, looking into the issue and will bring that to parliament."

When asked about his personal view on a change in the law, Sunak maintained that “it’s important” that he “respected how free votes work in parliament because they are not party-political mandates.”

He continued: “If parliament voted to change the law then absolutely the government will facilitate that.”

In November last year, a harrowing new film shone a spotlight on Canada's 'assisted dying' programme.

Assisted suicide and euthanasia were legalised in Canada in 2016. Since then, the law has already been expanded, with further expansion due to come into force next year.

Watch the film below.