British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to reveal whether he supports legalising assisted dying, saying improvements to palliative and social care should take priority before any such legislation is considered.
Speaking at a London care association event on Wednesday, Burnham renewed his long-standing campaign for a national care service aimed at addressing the country’s social care challenges.
Responding to questions on assisted dying, the prime minister said adequate funding for palliative and social care must come before any wider debate on changing the law.
“I think there’s something that needs to happen first, and that is fixing the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said, adding that introducing assisted dying while many people still lack access to quality end-of-life care would be difficult.
His remarks mark his first public comments on the issue since becoming prime minister less than two weeks ago.
A previous attempt to legalise assisted dying failed in April after the proposed legislation stalled in the House of Lords despite passing through the House of Commons.
Burnham, who was raised in a Catholic family, abstained during Parliament’s 2015 vote on assisted dying. In 2024, however, he indicated he would likely support the principle of assisted dying if he were still an MP, provided hospice and palliative care services received adequate funding before the law took effect.
Campaigners remain determined to revive the legislation after its earlier setback.
Under the proposed law, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live would be able to request an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and an independent expert panel.
The issue is expected to return to Parliament in September when Labour MP Lauren Edwards reintroduces the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as a private member’s bill. As with previous debates, MPs will be allowed a free vote rather than being required to follow party instructions.