Na h Eileanan an Iar MP Torcuil Crichton has confirmed he will vote against assisted dying legislation when the issue returns to the House of Commons on Friday.

Crichton said the legislation remains deeply flawed and believes important questions about the role of the health service and care at the end of life remain unanswered.

The MP said he had heard from many constituents who feel strongly about the issue and acknowledged the depth of feeling surrounding the debate.

He pointed to the defeat of similar legislation in the Scottish Parliament and argued that uncertainty surrounding assisted dying had caused some politicians to reconsider their positions.

Crichton also said the political landscape at Westminster had changed, pointing to the new Prime Minister’s commitment to funding social care and palliative care.

For the Western Isles MP, greater access to compassionate end of life care remains central to his opposition to assisted dying.

“The debate on Assisted Dying returns to parliament this Friday and as your MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, I will be again voting against what is deeply flawed legislation.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has been in touch, I know many people at home feel very deeply about this issue, and so do I.

“The Private Members Bill we’ll vote on is the same as the one which was timed out by the House of Lords in the last session.

“There were simply too many unanswered questions about turning a health system designed to prolong life into one which administers a legal pathway to ending life.

“The arguments we will make On Friday on both sides are the same, but the landscape has changed.

“In the Scottish Parliament an attempt to introduce similar legislation was defeated in the final vote, there was too much uncertainty, and people did change their minds.

“In Westminster we have a new Prime Minister, who has made it his priority to fix funding for social care and palliative care.

“It’s the side of the debate which hasn’t been heard, how we can approach the end of life with care and compassion available to everyone, not just those with the wherewithal to afford it, and not to leave anyone behind in a place where some might think a lethal injection might be their only exit choice.

“For these reasons, and for many others, I’ll be voting against the proposals.

“The vote will be tight, but there are still the same unanswered questions.

“And as we saw in Scotland, people can change their minds and I hope they do.”