A deep split in Cupboard emerged as the row over what measures to take help to die legislation intensified despite strong public support for a new law.

On Friday, MPs will vote on a private member’s bill introduced by Kim Leadbeater which could pave the way for legalizing assisted dying as early as the end of next year.

But while 14 of the 25 Cabinet members who are MPs have indicated they would vote in favor of assisted dying, eight have indicated they are opposed to it, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Health Secretary Justice Shabana Mahmood.

The bill would allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live to seek medical assistance to end their lives, provided that the agreement of two doctors and a judge is obtained.

It will face its first hurdle in the House of Commons on Friday when MPs will have five hours to debate it before voting. If passed, it will then move to the committee stage, where the contents of the bill will be examined in more detail.

MPs will have a free vote, meaning they can vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines.

It also allowed ministers to speak openly about their position on this controversial issue. However, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case advised in October to “exercise discretion” and avoid participating in public debate on the issue.

Despite this advice, the two secretaries of state who would be responsible for introducing the bill have both publicly stated that they would vote against the bill in recent weeks.

In a letter to voters, the Justice Secretary warned that MPs would be place the country on a “slippery slope towards death on demand” and called into question the state’s ability to provide medical assistance in dying.

She argued that the Hillsborough, infected blood and Post Office Horizon scandals “reminded us that the state and those who act on its behalf are not always harmless”, adding that the government “should protect and preserve the life, not suppress it.”

Streeting also said he would vote against the bill and said Radio Times last month he feared that assisted dying could “come at the expense” of other NHS services.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also said they would vote against the bill.

Foreign Minister David Lammy has not expressed his position on the current bill, but has voiced his opposition to assisted dying in the past, saying earlier this year that he “feared we were starting something part and that somehow ends up leading to the legalization of murder.”

Angela Rayner, who is deputy prime minister and housing secretary, has not expressed her position but voted against similar legislation on the issue in 2015. Sources close to her told the Daily Mail that she intends to vote against.

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, said he would abstain or vote against the bill because he fears a PMB is not the right way to change the law on “such a complex issue “.

However, the majority of the Cabinet appears to support the bill. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Science Secretary Peter Kyle and Ireland Secretary of the North Hilary Benn should all vote for it.

Keir Starmer refused to confirm his position on the bill, but voted for similar legislation in 2015 and said last year there was “reason to change the law”.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden and Commons Leader Lucy Powell voted in favor of assisted dying in 2015, but have not confirmed their position on the current bill.

The positions of three ministers – Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Defense Secretary John Healey and Environment Secretary Steve Reed – are unknown and none were present during the 2015 vote.

Despite division within the Cabinet over the legislation, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall defended colleagues who had expressed “strong views” on the issue before the vote.

She said News from the sky: “This is legislation that Parliament may or may not pass…I’m not going to criticize either Wes or Shabana, who are good colleagues and have strong opinions on this.”

The bill’s author, Kim Leadbeater, respectfully refuted the Cabinet’s criticism of the plans and said The house magazine last month that she was “disappointed” by Streeting’s interventions.

“I am disappointed that the Health Secretary came to speak about the Bill before he had even seen it, and some comments made in the media this morning suggest he has not read the Bill. So it’s disappointing,” she said.

Reacting to Mahmood’s comments, she said that “good friends don’t always agree” and argued that the points she raised “have been raised many times, and I responded to them during the thorough drafting and presentation of the bill. “.