GPs have dropped their opposition to assisted dying.

As a landmark bill is being considered by Parliament on the contentious issue the Royal College of General Practitioners announced a significant shift in position. It had opposed assisted dying since 2005 but following a vote by its council members has moved to a position of neutrality - neither opposing nor supporting a change in the law. It followed a vote of the whole RCGP membership which showed family doctors are split on the issue.

Chairwoman Professor Kamila Hawthorne said: "Today's discussion and our recent survey of our members have clearly shown that GPs have widely differing and strongly-held views about assisted dying - we care deeply about our patients.

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"This is a highly sensitive personal, societal and legislative issue, and we need to be in a position to represent the views of all of our members and patients; shifting to a position of neither opposing nor supporting assisted dying being legal will allow us to do this best.”

The shift in position followed a non-binding survey of the RCGP’s 8,779 members which saw 33.7% state that the college should support assisted dying being legalised. The biggest proportion of GPs were still against assisted dying with 47.6%) saying the opposition stance should remain. Only 13.6% favoured a position of neutrality.

However the decision on the new stance was taken by the council of 66 elected representatives of the GP membership. In this binding vote 61% of the college's council voted for a move to a position of neither supporting nor opposing legalising assisted dying while 39% voted to maintain the position of opposition. None voted in favor of assisted dying.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of campaign group Care Not Killing, said the change in stance was "disappointing, but unsurprising as doctors' groups continue to wrestle with how to respond to multiple attempts to introduce assisted suicide and euthanasia in the UK".

The Royal College of Nursing's governing council voted in 2009 to move to a neutral stance on assisted dying for terminally-ill people while doctors' union the BMA shifted from a position against assisted dying to one of neutrality in 2021.

Professor Hawthorne added: “Neither opposing nor supporting assisted dying does not mean we will be stepping back from the debate. Our focus will be on advocating for our members, regardless of their views on assisted dying, as to how potential changes in the law will impact on their daily practice and the care they deliver for patients.”

A committee of 23 MPs is undertaking line-by-line scrutiny of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill before it returns to the - most likely towards the end of April - for further debate and a vote. This would cover England and Wales.

Meanwhile, a vote is expected on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults ( ) Bill in the coming weeks at the devolved parliament in Holyrood.