Victoria Derbyshire says 'are you joking' to audience member
BBC Newsnight turned awkward as Victoria Derbyshire was forced to ask the same question four separate times as she skewered an MP on the assisted dying bill.
Victoria was heading up a debate about the controversial bill with Lib Dem MP for Edinburgh West, Christine Jardine – who seemed evasive at her line of questioning.
During the discussion, Victoria asked: “How would anyone know if someone had been coerced?” as Jardine replied: “We are talking here about people who are in a heartbreaking situation, and the doctors have been dealing with them – they’ve gone through treatment and a diagnosis.
“They do have to have a terminal diagnosis with an expectation of perhaps six months at the most. They will know that person, and they have medical knowledge, and they’re trained to deal with people and read if they’re being open with them.”
Interrupting her, Victoria pressed: “Forgive me, forgive me. The question is how would anyone know if someone was being coerced?”
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Jardine said: “That is something that they would hopefully question, they would examine the person…”
But Victoria wasn’t happy as she said: “Forgive me – doctors are not trained in coercive control, are they? So how would they know if someone had been coerced?”
“The impetus for this change in the law is coming from people in that position,” Christine said. Victoria told her: “I’m not asking you where this is coming from. That’s the answer to a different question. I come back to my question – how would anyone know if the patient had been coerced?”
Posting the clip to her X account, a fuming Victoria wrote: “I asked 4 times how a doctor would know whether or not someone had been pressured into assisted dying.”
When Jardine suggested the sincerity of the patient mattered, Victoria shook her head, asking: “That’s your criteria? If they say it in a sincere way?” Eventually she insisted safeguards would be put in place if the bill was passed.
Victoria argued: “Hang on, hang on. I thought this bill had the strictest safeguards in the world? Now you’re telling me that there will be further safeguards? There’s no mention of training in coercive control!”
