Nearly three quarters of the British public support a parliamentary inquiry into assisted suicide, polling has revealed.

Research by YouGov found that 74 per cent were in favour of re-examining the law whereby medically-assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal.

The polling was released before a debate on the issue in the House of Commons today which was secured after a petition lodged by Sarah Wootton, of Dignity in Dying, received more than 155,000 signatures.

She is looking for a change in law to facilitate assisted suicide and believes the YouGov poll shows a desire for change among the public.

Campaigners against such a move say that existing laws adequately protect vulnerable people. They claim it would be impossible to ensure that a patient’s wish to die was truly free from outside pressures.

In 2015 MPs rejected plans for a right-to-die law change for some terminally ill adults in England and Wales.

Last year the British Medical Association dropped its long-standing opposition to a change in the law after a debate at its annual representative meeting. It instead adopted a neutral position.