Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been accused of crossing the line by stating his opposition to the assisted dying bill and creating a “huge moral issue” instead of money.

Labour’s Baroness Harriet Harman became the latest senior party figure to push back on Mr Streeting’s public discussion of the bill ahead of a debate and vote later this month.

He confirmed he would vote no on the proposed legislation, asking officials to carry out a cost analysis of any changes and suggesting it could cost the NHS more if a new law was introduced.

Lady Harman said Mr Streeting had breached the Government’s neutral stance on the issue.

He told Sky’s Choice Dysfunction podcast with Beth Rigby: “I think he crossed the line in two ways.

“First, because he said he would vote against it. So he said: ‘I say this independently, even though I am Secretary of State for Health, I will vote against this.’

“He shouldn’t have said how he would vote because that violates impartiality and sends a signal.”

Last month Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said in a letter that “ministers need not back down when asked directly about views they have previously expressed, but they should use discretion and not engage in public debate”.

Lady Harman also took issue with Mr Streeting’s arguments about the potential financial impact of assisted dying on the NHS.

He suggested cuts to other NHS services might also be required if the changes were introduced, but also said there could be a “chilling, slippery slope argument” if people felt they had to take their own lives as a cost-saving measure.

Lady Harman said: “You can’t do both. You can’t both cost NHS money and save NHS money.

“But first of all, I don’t think we should have this discussion about money. It should not go down to the sources. “This is a huge moral issue and there are only a very small number of people.”

His criticisms followed those of former minister Baroness Margaret Hodge, who told the BBC’s Politics Live programme: “I’m a huge Wes Streeting fan but I think he should do as the Cabinet Secretary says on this and hold the fire a bit.”

The peer in favor of assisted dying added: “To claim that this would incur extra costs – I mean, I haven’t done the arithmetic on that – seems a bit ridiculous to me.”

Mr Streeting has previously said he did not intend to “get involved” in the debate and only expressed his view when the question was asked at a special meeting of the Parliamentary Labor Party.

But speaking after a speech at the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool this week, he said there were “choices and trade-offs”, adding that “any new service comes at the expense of other competing pressures and priorities”.

He added: “That doesn’t mean people should vote against it based on that.

“People need to weigh this choice, just as we weigh all other options right now.”

Downing Street did not bother to say whether Mr Streeting was right to say a new assisted dying law could be to the detriment of other NHS services.

Labor MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced what she described as the “most robust” bill in the world on this issue, expressed her disappointment and regret at Mr Streeting’s comments, claiming he had breached the Cabinet Secretary’s instructions.

Meanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed she would support the change, saying: “Yes, I will vote for the bill.”

Elsewhere in the cabinet, Culture Minister Lisa Nandy had previously indicated she would vote in favor of the bill, while Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood said she would not support the legislation.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to give her views when asked on Friday which way she would vote on November 29, saying she would “look at all the evidence before the vote in Parliament.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has previously supported assisted dying, also refused to give his views on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and promised to review the details of the proposals ahead of the vote earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops on Friday warned that mercy was “under threat” from assisted dying, which they feared could lead to people feeling “pressured” to end their lives.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops of England, Wales and Scotland called on “sensible and well-intentioned” people to join them in defending the “weakest and most vulnerable people” who they said were at risk from the proposed new law.