Sir Ed Davey has said he is “very minded” to vote against legalising assisted dying.

       The leader of the Liberal Democrats said palliative care needed to be improved and a better system for end-of-life care would create a “strong consensus” against a law change.

       He also said he worried people could request an assisted death because of their fears about becoming a burden on loved ones.

       The proposals, to be debated and voted on by MPs in November, would allow those who have six months to live to be assisted to end their life, subject to safeguards.

       Sir Ed had previously said he had been “sceptical” of arguments for legalising assisted dying, but this is the first time that he has expressed that he is likely to vote against it.

       Asked how he would vote, Sir Ed told reporters: “I don’t know what all my colleagues will do, I’m sure some will vote for it.

       “I’m very minded to vote against it, because of the impact on the psychology, if you like, of elderly people and some disabled people. And it’s a difficult one for proponents of this Bill to deal with.”

       He added: “I genuinely worry that people could feel burdens on their loved ones and their families.

       “And without telling them, saying therefore they agree to voluntary euthanasia. And I think that is a deeply worrying position.”

       Kim Leadbeater, the backbench Labour MP behind the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, has described it as a “very robust piece of legislation” with “layers and layers of protections” built in.

       MPs will be free to vote with their conscience on the issue, but as the leader of the Liberal Democrats his voice is likely to hold sway with his 72 MPs.

       Sir Ed has also frequently spoken about his own personal experience as a carer, including for his mother who died of cancer.

       He said on Thursday: “My mother had a very painful form of cancer, and I used to administer morphine to her, and I was by her bedside when she died, and I can tell you that I don’t think she would have wanted anything different.

       “The big thing I take from that is palliative care. We have got to do so much better on palliative care. The ability for us to do so much better is huge.”

       He added: “I think many of the people who worry about this would have their worries reassured. I think it’d be a quite strong consensus to not proceed down this road.”

       He joins such voices opposing legalising assisted dying as Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, who said that he did not believe the palliative care system was good enough to offer patients a choice.