Diane Abbott and Sir Edward Leigh warn plans to legalize assisted dying will put vulnerable people at risk as they call for the proposal to be rejected ahead of next week’s Commons vote.

Britain’s two longest-serving MPs have come together, from opposing political backgrounds, to urge the Commons to reject the bill that would legalize assisted suicide.

Veteran left-wing Labor Diane Abbott and Conservative Sir Edward Leigh made a highly unusual joint intervention to warn that the bill voted on next week was being rushed through and would put vulnerable people at risk.

Both men said politicians should make laws based on their effects on society as a whole, not just the result of celebrity-led campaigns, in what will be seen as a reference to Dame Esther Rantzen.

They also raised concerns that pressure groups calling for radical reform are trying to take advantage of the “new and inexperienced Parliament” with more than half of MPs elected for the first time in July.

Ms Abbott and Sir Edward, known as the mother and father of the house after serving since the 1980s, wrote in the Guardian: “The flawed process was lamentable and completely unacceptable for an issue of such importance.”

They pointed out that the private member’s bill introduced by Labor’s Kim Leadbeater had been published just 18 days before next Friday’s crucial second reading, whereas ten years ago MPs had seven weeks to study a previous attempt to legalize medical assistance in dying.

“The inadequacy of this timetable is accentuated by the unprecedented number of new deputies.

“Parliament will only have sat for 12 weeks by the time MPs vote on what is, quite literally, a matter of life and death,” Ms Abbott and Sir Edward wrote.

“There is more than just suspicion that the pressure groups behind this proposed change have sought to take advantage of an inexperienced new parliament.”

They went on to warn that vulnerable minorities could feel “forced to die” if the law was changed, citing the example of a poor retiree whose children cannot afford housing and whose savings are spent for social care.

Although such incidents would be “relatively rare”, MEPs say that “the only adequate guarantee is to keep the current law unchanged” while increasing investment in palliative care.

The bill was expected to clear the first hurdle in the House of Commons next week given widespread public support for assisted suicide and the large number of Labor MPs believed to be socially liberal.

Its supporters say it was written to include many safeguards and limit help to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live who must obtain authorization from two medical professionals and a judge of the High Court.

But a number of senior ministers, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have said they will vote against it, sparking bitter infighting within the party.

Yesterday, four new Labor MPs revealed they would oppose the bill, citing fears about the risks to vulnerable people as well as the impact on the NHS.

Ministerial aide Preet Kaur Gill also said she would vote against, writing: “Asking healthcare workers to administer assisted dying would fundamentally change the nature of their work and introduce complex ethical challenges into their practice daily. »

However, Labor MP Andy Slaughter, who chairs the Justice Select Committee, said there were risks in not updating the law.

“We must recognize that other people are already receiving assisted dying abroad, but without any protection under our law.

“Those who are planning their deaths in secret right now may be doing so because they feel like a burden, but because they can’t discuss their fears with their family, they can’t be reassured. This is the status quo which lacks protections, and this bill which will provide them.