Dame Esther Rantzen has said she will open a bottle of champagne live on air if a free vote on assisted dying goes ahead.
Dame Esther, who has terminal cancer, has been pushing for a change in the law on assisted dying, which is currently illegal in the UK.A petition the 83-year-old former TV presenter launched to hold a parliamentary debate on assisted dying has been signed by over 205,000 people as of late April.MPs will debate the issue on Monday in Westminster Hall, although there will be no vote on changing the law.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he is in favour of changing the law on assisted dying, and has promised a vote on the subject.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declined to commit to holding a vote.Ministers said in response to Dame Esther's petition: "It remains the Government’s view that any change to the law in this sensitive area is a matter for Parliament to decide and an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than one for government policy.
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