Assisted dying bill: MPs wrestle with decision ahead of vote

In the week leading up to the debate, Tomlinson has attended two town hall gatherings: one with constituents in favour and one with those against.

Hundreds braved a wintry London evening at the Finchley Reform Synagogue to hear speakers, including a palliative care doctor and Tory peer Lord Finkelstein, argue the case for assisted dying.

The crowd was calm and receptive but the air chilled momentarily when Tomlinson asked if the law might push more people to end their lives to avoid burdening families or the NHS.

The people gathered in the synagogue were eager for religious, legal and data-driven arguments in favour of assisted dying, and many voiced fears about loved ones in agony who would be ineligible under the terms of the proposed law.

Outside the meeting, one organiser Andrew Jacobs, 70, said he would “be very disappointed” if Tomlinson did not vote in favour of the bill on Friday.

In a matter-of-fact tone, Mr Jacobs said he backed assisted dying after seeing his mother’s struggle during her final days.

“She told me, ‘my body is a burden to me. If I were a pet, you’d put me down’,” he recalled.

“Seeing a loved one in distress, it’s really hard.”

Reflecting on the discussion, Tomlinson says he recognises the strength of “emotion and feeling in this debate – and that’s right and proper”.

“But I didn’t come into politics to shy away from difficult and challenging questions.”