Scottish Labour leader turns on assisted dying bill

To Holyrood, where parliamentarians will tomorrow vote on Scotland’s assisted dying bill. Scottish Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur has put forward legislation that would allow those deemed terminally ill north of the border to take their own lives – as Kim Leadbeater’s bill for England and Wales makes its way through Westminster. But support for the Scottish legislation is waning north of the border, and now Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has announced he will not back the bill. How very interesting…

Sarwar will vote against the assisted dying bill tomorrow after stating he does not believe the proposed legislation include ‘sufficient safeguards to provide the reassurance and protection that would one needed in such a sensitive area’. Instead, the Labour MSP – who has written about his intentions in the Daily Record – insists access to palliative care resources should be improved. ‘Our hospice and care sectors do remarkable work, and I commend them for it — but there is still more government can do to ensure people have the support they need, including the ability to die at home if they wish,’ Sarwar wrote.