A leaked policy note commissioned by Sir Keir Starmer's office in 2023 - when Labour was in opposition - said legalising assisted dying for those with a terminal diagnosis would be "popular" with the public and warned it would not be "politically viable" to "do nothing on the issue".
Opponents of assisted dying have suggested this calls into question the government's declared neutrality on the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, introduced by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater and currently going through Parliament.
Senior Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier said it appeared Labour leaders had tried to "circumvent" the party's policy processes".
Both Leadbeater and the Labour leadership denied the party or government had been involved in her bill.