London Diary: Religious rift over the right to die

Religion has become a major divide in the debate on the pros and cons of assisted dying after the House of Commons voted in favour of a bill which allows terminally ill patients to ask for assistance to end their own life.

In a rare display of solidarity, Hindu and Sikh leaders have joined Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in signing a letter opposing the bill, describing it as ‘dangerous’.

A senior Muslim cabinet minister Shabana Mahmood has been attacked by some of her secular party colleagues for invoking religious beliefs to oppose the bill.

In a letter to her constituents, Mahmood, who is the most senior Muslim politician in Britain, said she was “profoundly concerned” by the legislation, adding that “the state should never offer death as a service”.

Charlie Falconer, an ally of the ruling Labour party Keir Starmer and former justice secretary, said Mahmood’s argument was “completely wrong” and accused her of “imposing” her religious beliefs on others.

“I think she’s motivated—and I respect this—by her religious beliefs. They shouldn’t be imposed on everybody else,” he said.

Recent data by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, an independent research body, suggests that black respondents are much less likely to support assisted dying legislation: only 43 per cent of black people compared with 75 per cent of white respondents are in favour.

It seems even death is not free of sectarian divides.

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Sunak is going nowhere

Contrary to conventional Westminster wisdom that, after his election defeat, he would move to Silicon Valley where he made his first big money, Rishi Sunak is staying put.

He has also chosen not to take the annual allowance of £115,000 to which he is entitled as former prime minister.

He and his wife, Akshata ­Murthy, are reported to be preparing to set up a body next year to pursue initiatives that they believe will make a positive contribution to Britain. The couple, who are worth more than £500 million, will fund the venture themselves. In other words, they’re not looking for investors.

Apparently, they are still deciding the focus of their project, which is most likely to be education. Sunak said education was the “closest thing as a silver bullet there is” and the reason why he “came into politics”.

While resident in Downing Street, Akshata ­Murthy invited thousands of children to No. 10 on Friday mornings for lessons on everything from business to beauty, cooking, coding and chemistry.

She said at the time: “I have an entrepreneurial mindset and come from an entrepreneurial family, so ‘Lessons at 10’ has been a journey. It started as a tour with a little history. But talking to these groups of young people, I thought, what can I do to add to their experience, and that’s where the lessons idea came in. It’s all about discovering their passions. I don’t sell it as careers advice, but if that’s what it’s doing, that’s great.”

Well, good luck to them.

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Well-mannered expats

An elderly British journalist Mathew Parris who is studying good manners on the London Underground found that although only a third of any typical Tube carriage is non-white, at least two-thirds of those who offer him a seat in a crowded compartment are “people of colour, typically young, and often female”. 

“It is said to be desirable that different ethnic groupings should assimilate into native British culture. In this case, perhaps not,” he wryly noted, indicating that some of the white person’s rudeness might rub off on the others?

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No tips please, we’re Brits

Like everyone else, including us Indians, Brits are quick to adopt American lifestyles—be it language, food or business. 

The latest American import is US-style tipping, with growing numbers of hospitality and service businesses reportedly adding ‘gratuity prompts’ on card payment machines. 

Most Britons, though, are bravely resisting the Americanisation of one of the few areas of daily life that remain deeply British. 

New data shows that they would rather stick to the British way of doing things and are politely saying ‘no’ to tipping.

“It’s all a bit American. I’ve just come back from over there and it’s the norm, but here, we’re not like that.  It’s a bit irritating," one customer told the Times.

The contactless payment firm, SumUp, reported that the number of businesses applying a suggested tip of 10, 15 or 20 per cent before a customer presents their card for payment has increased by more than a third over the past two years. 

In America, tipping at bars, hotels and other service industries is much more common and most customers expect it. It’s the opposite in the UK.

The Lonely Planet travel guide advises visitors to Britain that tipping at pubs is ‘never done and not expected’. 

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And, finally, amid intense criticism of the Guardian owners’ decision to sell its Sunday stable-mate the Observer despite opposition from staff, former Guardian journalist Hadley Freeman said what was once a journalist-led organisation is now “run by businesspeople who wouldn’t recognise its reporters in the street”.