More than half of Labour members backed assisted dying bill, poll reveals

Over half of Labour members supported the assisted dying bill, exclusive polling for LabourList has found.

Polling conducted by Survation revealed that 56 percent of members said they both supported the principle of assisted dying and backed the bill proposed by Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater.

Almost one in five (18 percent) said they opposed the bill and the principle of assisted dying, while 16 percent said they backed assisted dying but were opposed to Leadbeater’s bill.

Support for the bill was highest in South East England at 65 percent, while opposition to the assisted dying bill was strongest in Scotland at 50 percent.

The bill, had it passed, would have allowed for terminally ill adults resident in England and Wales to end their lives if they were expected to die within six months and were declared eligible by two doctors.

MPs voted narrowly at third reading in June last year to pass the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, by a margin of 314 votes to 291.

However, the bill faced hundreds of amendments in the House of Lords, with supporters of the bill accusing some peers of deliberately blocking passage of the bill.

However, critics have said that the bill had “tonnes of holes in it” and that lengthy consideration was necessary given the subject matter.

Although the bill will fall as it won’t be carried over into the next session of parliament, proponents have vowed to reintroduce the same bill and suggested powers in the Parliament Acts could be used if peers block the legislation a second time. Such powers were last used in 2004 to pass legislation banning fox hunting.

‘Highly complex and emotive issue, with deeply held beliefs’

Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, said: “Assisted dying is an incredibly complex issue. It is also a highly emotive one with both proponents and opponents expressing deeply held beliefs. Labour members are no different. Whether a route can be found that satisfies the general support of the party (and the country) that allays some of the fears of its fiercest critics remains to be seen. 

“What is true is that an awful lot of parliamentary time has been taken up by a piece of legislation that will not now become law. That will upset campaigners for the bill but will also frustrate MPs who want to be able to make a difference on a range of issues. So if this law is to be brought back, there will need to be an understanding of how that process can be managed that also works to the satisfaction of all concerned – whatever the outcome.”

‘Views on assisted dying are layered’

Damian Lyons Lowe, CEO of Survation, said: “These results suggest Labour members are more supportive of assisted dying than opposed, but they also underline that views on the issue are layered.

“A majority support both the principle and the bill itself, while a smaller but still meaningful group support assisted dying in principle but not the legislation that was before Parliament. That distinction matters, because much of the debate has focused not only on whether assisted dying should be permitted, but on whether the proposed safeguards were adequate.”

The poll is the latest in a series of regular polls LabourList is publishing in partnership with leading pollsters Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Partner.

Survation surveyed 1,190 readers of LabourList, the leading dedicated newsletter and news and comment website for Labour supporters, who also said they were Labour Party members between April 17 and 22.

Data was weighted to the profile of party members by age, sex, region, 2020 leadership vote and 2025 deputy leadership vote. Targets for weighting were drawn from the British Election Study and the results of the leadership and deputy elections.

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