Brown says death of daughter shows we need better end of life care

Gordon Brown has declared his opposition to legalising assisted dying, saying the loss of his daughter Jennifer taught him that end-of-life care must be prioritised instead.

The former prime minister said the debate on assisted dying was moving too fast given the 'profound ethical and practical issues'.

He wants an end-of-life commission to be set up instead of a 'yes/no vote' for MPs – and said the state of the NHS meant now was not the time for a far-reaching decision that could fundamentally alter the relationship between doctors and patients.

Mr Brown said that when Jennifer had a brain haemorrhage four days after her birth in December 2001, he and his wife, Sarah, knew she would not survive it. She died at 11 days old.

He wrote in The Guardian: 'Those days we spent with her remain among the most precious days of my and Sarah's lives. 

The experience of sitting with a fatally ill baby girl did not convince me of the case for assisted dying; it convinced me of the value and imperative of good end-of-life care.'

He added: 'Britain usually moves too slowly on those matters where it should move fast. But sometimes, as now, it can move too fast on an issue where it should go slower, listen and learn. 

'And with the NHS still at its lowest ebb, this is not the right time to make such a profound decision. Instead, we need to show we can do better at assisted living before deciding whether to legislate on ways to die.'

He has previously criticised assisted dying, and in 2008 said he was 'totally against' laws allowing it in case it put vulnerable people under pressure.

Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, welcomed his call for an end-of-life commission. 

But she reiterated her desire for the law to change, adding: 'Even the best end-of-life care doesn't work for everybody. I have heard so many heartbreaking stories of people who suffered an agonising death despite receiving all the medications and support they could possibly ask for.'

More than seven in ten people believe assisted dying should be legalised, a YouGov survey revealed yesterday.

MPs will vote next Friday on allowing assisted dying for the first time in almost a decade.

Only terminally ill adults with less than six months to live and a wish to die would be eligible. Two doctors and a High Court judge would have to verify this. 

Last time there was a binding vote on changing the law, in 2015, it was defeated by 330 votes to 118.