Doctors have accused the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) of “grossly misrepresenting” the views of its members by softening its stance on assisted suicide/euthanasia. A vote by the governing body overrode the wishes of rank and file GPs by changing the College’s stance to one of neutrality rather than of opposition.

The organisation announced last week that it was no longer formally opposed to euthanasia, instead adopting a “neutral” position.

But critics say this shift is “baffling”, given that a poll of Royal College of GPs (RCGP) members shows support for euthanasia among GPs has fallen sharply in recent years.

More than 250 GPs have signed a letter to The London Times expressing their disappointment in the college’s leadership

A recent survey of members showed that 47.5 per cent believed the RCGP should remain opposed to so-called ‘assisted dying’, while only 13.6 per cent supporting the idea of a neutral position.

Meanwhile, 33.7 per cent wanted their organisation to support the legalisation of assisted suicide — down from 40 per cent in 2019, the last time members were surveyed on the issue.