Gordon Brown said he opposes ‘assisted dying’ because the loss of his baby daughter convinced him of the value of improving end-of-life care.

It comes ahead of a landmark vote on proposals to change the law next week, which have split MPs across the political spectrum.

The former prime minister, who lost his newborn, Jennifer, at just 11 days old in 2002, said Britain should “do better at assisted living”.

Reflecting on the final days of her life in an article for The Guardian, Mr Brown expressed sympathy for those who were terminally ill and feared the suffering that lay ahead.

But he said that, in his view, assisted suicide was “not the only option available, nor even a good option when set against the palliative support that could be available in ensuring a good death”.