Vulnerable people not at risk from proposed assisted dying law, says MP

Kim Leadbeater said the law would only apply to ‘people who are already dying’. Photograph: Parliament TV

The lives of disabled and vulnerable people will not be at risk from a proposed assisted dying law because it will only apply to terminally ill adults, and each case is likely to be ruled on by two doctors and a judge, the MP sponsoring it has said.

Kim Leadbeater said her historic “choice at the end of life” bill will include “stringent” criteria and a cooling-off period in what is likely to be one of the most controversial pieces of legislation to go before parliament in years.