When the Assisted Dying Bill received support at Second Reading I stated I would work constructively to improve the legislation should it become law, so I have now submitted a series of amendments to improve the Bill and tackle some of its most egregious flaws:

Frustrated by the assertion: no prior review was needed for the ’Assisted Dying Bill’ due to the experience in other jurisdictions. The result: no consideration of the interaction with the Mental Health Act, compounded by re-framing physician assisted suicide as ’assisted dying’.

The Assisted Bill’s default presumption is that thoughts to end one’s life in the context of terminal illness is not due or linked to mental illness.  This is another example of stigma faced by people with mental illness. The Bill must include a mandatory psychiatric assessment.

RT @ZeroMalariaGB: 🇬🇧 The Mozziebo was in Egham today, where we met with Runnymede & Weybridge MP @DrBenSpencer, Shadow Minister for Scienc…

RT @HansardSociety: 2/ And @DrBenSpencer tells us why he has tabled dozens of amendments to the #AssistedDying Bill despite not being a mem…

The Private Members Bill Process is not the way to tackle legislation like this. I wish this Bill had been written on the back of a Law Commission RV and consultation (or similar).

RT @JanetEastham: 🚨NEW: The Tory MP who tried to derail Leadbeater’s bill in Nov has proposed extending assisted dying to those with more t…

Although the Assisted Dying Bill committee won’t be taking evidence from the @rcpsych they will from @Capacitylaw and Prof Gareth Owen - their evidence sessions will definitely be ones to watch.

I was pleased to join @AndyBurnhamGM in Manchester last week at an event held by the APPG for Digital inclusion. Digital inclusion is vital in helping to address inequalities across our society. We must ensure all regions can share in the benefits & no community is left behind