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Assisted dying bill: Special series #8 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 83

21 Mar 2025

In this eighth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we continue to explore the latest developments in the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often referred to as the assisted dying bill. We are joined by Danny Kruger MP, a leading voice opposing the bill on the Public Bill Committee, to explore the political, procedural, and constitutional complexities of this landmark legislation.

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Danny Kruger MP discusses how he came to play a central role in opposing the bill and reflects candidly on the intense scrutiny process, the challenges of being out-resourced, and the broader implications of legislating such a deeply controversial issue through the Private Members’ Bill (PMB) process. He raises serious concerns about the lack of judicial oversight following a key amendment, the Government’s behind-the-scenes support despite its neutral stance, and the potential for ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) considerations to override parliamentary sovereignty.

The conversation also touches on key upcoming stages — Report Stage likely to be on 25 April, potential Third Reading dates, and the importance of robust parliamentary scrutiny in shaping public trust. Kruger calls for improved resourcing, greater transparency, and more time for debate, particularly given the bill’s scope and ethical weight.

With vital clauses still to be debated—particularly around NHS provision and post-legislative review — this episode offers insight into how Parliament is handling one of the most divisive and significant moral issues of our time.

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Our guest

Danny Kruger MP

Danny Kruger MP

Danny Kruger is the Conservative Member of Parliament for East Wiltshire and has been an MP since 2019. He is currently a Conservative Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions and a member of the House of Commons committee that is currently scrutinising the assisted dying bill, having been a prominent voice among the bill’s opponents. He is a co-founder and trustee of Only Connect, a charity working in prisons to stop re-offending, and describes his political outlook as “communitarian”. In 2023, he published Covenant: The New Politics of Home, Neighbourhood and Nation, advocating the strengthening of family, community and national ties.

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Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

[00:00:00] Intro: You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk.

[00:00:17] Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters. The podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

[00:00:24] Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy, and welcome to the latest in our series of special podcasts tracking the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the bill that would legalise assisted dying.

[00:00:36] Ruth Fox: And this week we talk to Danny Kruger, the Conservative MP who has emerged as the leader of the opposition on the committee doing detailed scrutiny of the bill. We began by asking him how he got that role.

[00:00:47] Danny Kruger MP: Well, I think I was quite vocal on the subject in the last Parliament and I chaired an APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on end of life care called Dying Well, which is about promoting palliative care.

[00:00:57] So I got very involved in the whole question in the last Parliament and then when Kim came top in the ballot for the Private Members Bill and chose to do assisted dying, I sort of got mobilised again. But I actually think I'm prominent largely because Kim decided to have me on the Committee and I'm grateful to her for that because she didn't have to have me.

[00:01:14] She did have, by convention, to have a proportionate number of people who voted no on the Committee. As you know, she chooses who goes on the Committee. But she's supposed to respect the proportion of aye and no votes at Second Reading, and she has more or less, although slightly stacked in her favour. But she's had to select some people who are opposed. She selected me. I regret she didn't select some other, frankly, more senior, more prominent voices, particularly on the Labour side. You know, there's some very, very senior and respected people like Meg Hillier, Rachael Maskell, others who I think, frankly, would be doing a better job than me, not just in the Committee, but also convincing Labour MPs that it's not safe.

[00:01:49] But anyway, I'm very honoured to be involved, and it's been a fascinating process for me.

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