Liberal Democrat MPs could clash with their own leader over assisted suicide | Politics news

Despite their huge success in the general election – winning more seats than ever before in their history – the Liberal Democrats are still seeking a clearly defined role in a Parliament where the Labour majority dwarfs everything else.

Some believe they have found an answer: they are leading the debate on liberalising assisted suicide laws. They believe that this issue is entirely in the tradition of the Liberal Democrats, who have already advocated the liberalisation of abortion and same-sex marriage.

The Liberal Democrats are already setting the pace. A bill on assisted suicide for terminally ill people and the requirement to obtain the consent of two doctors was passed in the Scottish Parliament on behalf of Liberal Democrat MP Liam McArthur.

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The same is true at Westminster, where I am told some MPs in the party are keen to be at the forefront of this debate. Campaign groups are confident they have the support of a significant section of the parliamentary party after an election that saw over 150 MPs opposed to change leave the House of Commons for good.

But the obstacle to efforts to get the Liberal Democrats to embrace this issue, which are likely to reach their peak in the next few months, is the resistance to change from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

In a very personal interview with Sky News todayThe leader of the Liberal Democrats is urging his party to be cautious on this issue.

He urged MPs not to “rush” the vote, warned that there were too many new MPs and pointed out that “this debate has been going on for a while”. Sir Ed signed motions in the House of Commons about his objections to assisted suicide as early as 2006.

“I think we need to have a more considered debate,” he said. “It should be a vote that gives due consideration to all sides,” he repeated, apparently again rejecting those calling for an early vote on the issue.”

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While insisting it would be a free vote for Liberal Democrat MPs, Sir Ed did not hold back in setting out his two main reasons for being cautious about change.

His first concern was that terminally ill people should be able to enjoy a good standard of living. His second concern was the fear that older people might feel pressure from their relatives – even unintentionally – to take up this opportunity.

“I think a situation where healthy people think they are a burden and then continue to do so is very disturbing and I think we should focus on that,” he said.

When asked whether there could ever be a satisfactory answer to this question, he replied: “It will take a lot to change my mind” and described himself as a “skeptic”.

He also made it clear that while he was pleased about the free vote, he did not agree with the idea that this issue should be the focus of a Liberal Democrat campaign, and instead called for more money for end-of-life care.

“From my personal experience, I believe that palliative care can be very, very effective. I think if we invest in our hospices, we are investing in palliative care. I think a lot of the worries that people have will go away.”

This issue will become increasingly important. No one knows whether there will be a majority for it in this Parliament this time.

The enthusiasm of sections of the Liberal Democrats to take the lead on this issue is clear, but there is likely to be a clash with the party leader if MPs push the issue too far.