A Paralympian and House of Lords peer said she has been sent abusive emails accusing her of being “responsible for people dying in pain” amid her opposition to the assisted dying Bill.

Crossbench peer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is among those expected to speak in a historic debate on Friday as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill returns to Parliament.

A long-time campaigner on the rights of disabled people, she said while it has been difficult to read some of the correspondence directed at her on what is a divisive issue, she accepts it is “part of the job”.

In an interview with the PA news agency, she said: “I’ve had emails, people saying, ‘thank you so much for protecting us’. And I’ve had some incredibly abusive ones as well, saying that I’m responsible for people dying in pain, and it will be on me.”

She said her own experience with her mother’s difficult death with cancer means she understands people’s strong feelings but insists there should be more focus on improving end-of-life care.

She said: “It’s absolutely appalling that people are scared about how they’re going to die. But we should be having........

© South Wales Argus