As a woman living with sight loss, I know something of the challenges disabled people in this country face on a daily basis.

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That’s why I have spent much of my political life campaigning for disabled people's right to have access to the support they need - not just to survive, but to live full and fulfilling lives. But I also know how often people slip through the cracks in the failing social care system, are impoverished by mounting care costs, and face a postcode lottery when it comes to access to vital services.

When you know or have experienced the reality that disabled people in this country face, you know you cannot support the “assisted dying” Bill.

The bill, which MPs will debate and vote on at Second Reading on Friday 11 September, has raised serious new concerns among disabled people and disability rights experts since it was last debated in the Commons in 2025. On paper, it would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to have their lives voluntarily ended with help from the NHS. We are told it is all about having a “free choice”. But in reality, choices don’t take place inside a vacuum - they are influenced by a person’s context, the care they have access to, and what the alternatives may be.

The Government's own, newly updated equality impact assessment on the bill, published recently, made clear that there is evidence that disabled people may be more susceptible to feeling like a burden on those around them.........

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