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The cost of assisted dying in the UK could mean it ends up being only be for the wealthy, a specialist lawyer has told Sky News.

MPs voted the assisted dying bill through its second stage last month, meaning the UK is closer to allowing people to end their own lives legally.

The bill stipulates people will have to have been given six months or less to live, must have two doctors saying they are eligible and a High Court judge would have to make a final decision.

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Lawyer Alexa Payet, who has represented the families of British people who have chosen assisted dying overseas, told Sky News the costs could run into “tens of thousands of pounds”.

She also said because the scope of the bill is so narrow, people who are terminally ill but have longer to live will still choose to go overseas to die.

“Nothing about legal procedure has been set out in the bill yet but I can imagine the process could be tens of thousands of pounds,” she said.

More on Assisted Dying

“That begs the question as to whether any funding will be made available.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeve this week refused to say if assisted dying would be made free under the NHS, ahead of a committee of MPs being formed on Wednesday to scrutinise the bill and propose amendments.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater among supporters of Dignity in Dying, celebrating hearing the result of the vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. A proposed law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle after MPs voted 330 to 275, majority 55, to approve it at second reading. Picture date: Friday November 29, 2024.
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Labour MP Kim Leadbeater introduced the assisted dying bill to parliament, which passed its second stage last month

Ms Payet, partner in the disputed wills and estates team at Michaelmores LLP, has successfully fought for the families of British people who have gone to places like Dignitas in Switzerland.

As assisted dying is currently a criminal offence, British people who help someone to die at an overseas clinic are can commit a crime which means they are not allowed to benefit from the proceeds from wills or shared assets.

Helping could entail filling out the Dignitas form or organising transport.

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The details of the assisted dying bill

What happens now MPs have backed assisted dying bill?

Ms Payet has worked on, among many others, two cases that have become case law, which has allowed judges to dismiss other cases – but people still have to go through a criminal investigation before.

She said the cost of lawyers to get a High Court judge to approve the application would be considerable.

Then there would be the legal costs family members might need for helping the person to die, because the Suicide Act may still apply so anybody encouraging or assisting suicide would be criminally liable.

They would then need to pay for lawyers to fight for their right to claim inheritance.

Lawyer Alexa Payet, who specialises in relief against forfeiture, warned the cost of assisted dying could be very high. Pic: Michaelmores LLP
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Lawyer Alexa Payet, who specialises in relief against forfeiture, warned the cost of assisted dying could be very high. Pic: Michaelmores LLP

Ms Payet said: “Any family members who provide any form of assistance getting them to that stage of assisted death, they don’t seem to be covered by this bill as drafted.

“I think there’s a question mark over what would happen with those individuals, both from the criminal aspect, but also from the forfeiture.

“It seems to me that the law, as it stands, may apply to those people, and that’s something else that should be given some consideration.”

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Opinions remain divided after assisted dying vote

She added there has been no mention of whether legal aid would be available, but said many people would not be eligible yet still could not afford the legal fees.

“This bill is incredibly narrow,” she said.

“Anecdotally, most of the people that go off to Dignitas are not people that fit this category of the terminally ill with six months or less to die.

“So, even if that bill was passed, it’s not going to affect the large majority of people who are currently taking steps to obtain an assisted death.

“Those people are presumably still going to go off to these overseas clinics which cost around £10,000 to £15,000 but then there’s also the associated costs like travel, with some people needing an air ambulance.”

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Royal College of Psychiatrists pulls support for assisted dying bill

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Royal College of Psychiatrists pulls support for assisted dying bill

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) has pulled its support for the assisted dying bill.

The announcement is a blow to supporters of the bill ahead of its return to the House of Commons on Friday.

It comes as plans to legalise assisted dying in Scotland passed the first stage this week.

Dr Lade Smith, president of the RCP, said: “The RCP has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the Bill as it stands.”

The move is significant because, under the bill’s current stipulations, a panel including a psychiatrist would oversee assisted dying cases.

The RCP outlined a number of issues it had with the current bill, including: the bill not making provision for unmet needs, whether assisted suicide is classed as a treatment or not, what the psychiatrists’ specific role on the panel would be, and the increased demand the bill puts on psychiatrists.

If the college support remains withdrawn, and the bill passes, it isn’t clear what effects it may have.

More on Assisted Dying

Kim Leadbeater, the MP behind the bill, has confirmed it will include a clause that means anyone who does not want to be involved in the process will not have to do so.

Supporters of the bill argue it would ease the suffering of dying people, while opponents argue it would fail to safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Kim Leadbeater MP defends changes to Assisted Dying Bill
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MP Kim Leadbeater talking to Sky News

Questions over the bill

The more prominent role of a psychiatrist in the bill came about after a previous amendment.

Initially, the bill said that after two independent doctors approved an assisted dying case, it would then need to be further approved by a High Court judge.

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But MPs on the parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill voted to remove that clause in March.

Instead, Ms Leadbeater proposed a voluntary assisted dying commissioner that included an expert panel with a psychiatrist.

She said this was a “strength, not a weakness,” but opponents of the bill disagreed, saying removing the High Court judge “fundamentally weakens protections for the vulnerable”.

However, amid changes and amendments to the original bill, there has been growing concern about safeguarding and timeframes, Sky News political correspondent Ali Fortescue reported.

Friday’s debate was already delayed from 25 April, to give MPs more time to consider amendments.

If the bill passes on Friday, it will move to the House of Lords, where it will undergo similar legislative stages, and if it passes that too, it won’t come into effect until at least 2029, after its implementation was delayed.

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Civil service relocation and AI officials at heart of government cost cutting measures

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Civil service relocation and AI officials at heart of government cost cutting measures

AI civil servants and sending human workers out of London are at the heart of the government’s plans to cut costs and reduce the size of the state bureaucracy.

Shrinking the civil service has been a target of both the current Labour and recent Conservative governments – especially following the growth in the organisation during the pandemic.

From a low in 2016 of 384,000 full time workers, in 2024 there were 513,000 civil servants.

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The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is claiming a new swathe of tools to help sift information submitted to public consultations could save “75,000 days of manual analysis every year” – roughly the work of 333 civil servants.

However, the time saved is expected to free up existing civil servants to do other work.

The suite of AI tools are known as “Humphrey”, after Humphrey Appleby, the fictional civil servant in the TV comedy Yes, Prime Minister.

The government has previously said the introduction of AI would help reduce the civil service headcount – with hopes it could save as much as £45bn.

Speaking today, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle appeared to take aim at expensive outsourcing contracts, saying: “No one should be wasting time on something AI can do quicker and better, let alone wasting millions of taxpayer pounds on outsourcing such work to contractors.”

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March: 10,000 officials could go

Move outside of London

Other money-saving plans announced today include moving 12,000 civil servants out of London and into regional hubs – with the government hoping it can save almost £100m by 2032 by not having to pay for expensive leases of prime office space in the capital.

Currently, 95,000 full time civil servants work in London.

Tens of millions of pounds a year are expected to be saved by the closure of 102 Petty France, which overlooks St James’s Park, and 39 Victoria Street, which is near the previous location of New Scotland Yard.

In total, 11 London offices are slated for closure, with workers being relocated to the likes of Aberdeen, Belfast, Darlington, Bristol, Manchester and Cardiff.

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The reforms of the civil service are being led by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden – one of Sir Keir Starmer’s most influential ministers.

Mr McFadden said: “To deliver our plan for change, we are taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK.

“By relocating thousands of civil service roles we will not only save taxpayers money, we will make this government one that better reflects the country it serves. We will also be making sure that government jobs support economic growth throughout the country.

“As we radically reform the state, we are going to make it much easier for talented people everywhere to join the civil service and help us rebuild Britain.”

The government says it wants senior civil servants out of the capital too – with the aim being that half of UK-based senior officials work in regional offices by the end of the decade.

The government claims the relocations and growth of regional hubs could add as much as £729m to local economies by 2030.

Pat McFadden delivers a keynote speech to the CyberUK conference.
Pic: PA
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Pat McFadden is leading the changes to the Civil Service. Pic: PA

Union welcome – cautiously

Unions appear to cautiously welcome the changes being proposed.

All of Prospect, the PCS and the FDA say it is positive to see better opportunities outside of the capital.

However, they have asked for clarity around whether roles may be lost and what will be offered to people transferring.

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Fran Heathcote, the general secretary of the PCS union, said: “If these government proposals are to be successful however, it’s important they do the right thing by workers currently based in London.

“That must include guarantees of no compulsory redundancies, no compulsory relocations and access to more flexible working arrangements to enable them to continue their careers should they wish to do so.”

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US lawmakers call for change in corporate digital asset taxes

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US lawmakers call for change in corporate digital asset taxes

US lawmakers call for change in corporate digital asset taxes

Two US senators are calling on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “exercise [the department’s] authority” and change a provision affecting taxes on corporate holdings of digital assets.

In a May 12 letter, Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno suggested Bessent had the authority to change the definition of “adjusted financial statement income” under existing US law in a way that could reduce what digital asset companies pay in taxes. The proposed adjustment was suggested as a way to modify a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022.

“Our edge in digital finance is at risk if US companies are taxed more than foreign competitors,” said Lummis in a May 13 X post.

Cryptocurrencies, Law, Taxes, Senate
May 12 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Source: Cynthia Lummis

According to the two senators, the proposed modification would provide “relief to corporations that invest in digital assets.” Lummis has been one of the most outspoken digital asset advocates in Congress, while Moreno took office in January after crypto-backed political action committees spent roughly $40 million to support his 2024 Senate race.

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The Inflation Reduction Act, which went into effect in 2023, imposes a 15% minimum tax on companies that report more than $1 billion in profits for three consecutive years. The measure would seemingly include unrealized crypto gains and losses, leading to Lummis’ and Moreno’s calls for the Treasury Department to “act swiftly.”

Senate awaiting second vote on stablecoin bill

The call from the two senators came as lawmakers in the Senate are expected to consider another vote on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act — legislation to regulate payment stablecoins in the US. A motion for consideration failed to move forward in the Senate on May 8 due to Democratic lawmakers pushing back on Donald Trump’s ties to the crypto industry.

Lummis, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, suggested that she would continue to support digital asset regulation. The Senate could take up another vote in a matter of days.

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