Bake Off star Prue Leith to attend Holyrood event in support of assisted dying

The broadcaster will talk about her own experience after watching her brother die from bone cancer

Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith will attend an event in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday in support of controversial assisted dying legislation.

The broadcaster will talk about her own experience and why she supports a change in the law after watching her brother die from bone cancer.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur is pushing forward with a Bill at Holyrood that would allow terminally ill and mentally competent adults to end their lives.

Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur

Two doctors would need to confirm a person was terminally ill and mentally competent, and there is a suggested reflection period of 14 days.

More than 14,000 individuals and organisations previously responded to a consultation on the plans – the largest ever public response to a members’ Bill in Holyrood. A clear majority (76 per cent) backed the legislation.

Ms Leith, who is a patron of the campaign group Dignity in Dying, recently took part in a documentary on assisted dying for C4 with her son, the Conservative MP Danny Kruger.

She will appear in Holyrood alongside Tina McCafferty, a native Glaswegian and chief executive of Tо̄tara Hospice in New Zealand where terminally ill patients have access to assisted dying, and Luke Johnston-Smith, who has incurable blood cancer.

Mr McArthur said: “I am very pleased that Prue is joining us to speak about her support for my Assisted Dying Bill. Prue has personal experience of the issue after watching her brother’s bad death from bone cancer and the documentary she made on assisted dying with her son earlier this year was a must watch.

“I am working hard with Parliament staff to finish the text of my Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill and it will soon be up to MSPs to make their minds up.

“I hope that Prue, along with Tina McCafferty, who is CEO of Tо̄tara Hospice in New Zealand where terminally ill patients have access to assisted dying, and Luke Johnston-Smith, who has given moving personal testimony of terminal blood cancer, can help to demonstrate the importance of giving Scots a choice over how they die.”

Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, the campaign group spearheading opposition to assisted dying legislation, said: “The legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia will put many vulnerable people at risk of abuse and coercion.”

He added: “Put simply, it’s impossible to have a safe system of medicalised killing and MSPs should reject Liam McArthur’s dangerous and discriminatory proposals.”