Lisa Nandy has said she will vote in favour of assisted dying, becoming the first Cabinet minister to publicly support the law.

       The Culture Secretary said the current system was “unsustainable” because too many people had “no dignity” at the end of their lives.

       It came after her Cabinet colleague Wes Streeting said he would be voting against the Private Member’s Bill, which will be debated on Nov 29.

       Shabana Mahmood, Justice Secretary, has also said she is not in favour.

       Ms Nandy said on Thursday morning she was conscious of the concerns of Mr Streeting and others, and said she believed there must be safeguards within any new law.

       She told BBC Breakfast: “I’ve just seen too many examples of people who have no choices and no dignity at the end of their lives. And I think the current system is unsustainable.”

       Ms Nandy added: “I very much agree with Wes that we need to improve palliative care in this country.

       “But I want people to have the choice about how they’re treated at the end of their life.”

       When the issue of assisted dying originally came before the Commons in 2015, Ms Nandy did not vote.

       The Government is officially neutral on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and MPs will have a free vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

       Earlier this month, Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary, wrote to ministers to say that, while they “need not resile from previously stated views when directly asked about them, they should exercise discretion and should not take part in the public debate”.

       A number of ministers have spoken out to make their view clear.

       Mr Streeting voted in favour of assisted dying in 2015, but he has now changed his mind.

       Last month, he told the Financial Times he was “struggling” with the issue, saying he could “buy into the principle” of assisted dying but was “not sure as a country we have the right end-of-life care available to enable a real choice on assisted dying”.

       Ms Mahmood has also said she will oppose the Bill, telling the Times: “As a Muslim, I have an unshakeable belief in the sanctity and value of human life.”