The Director of Public Prosecutions is going to rush out urgent guidance to clarify the law, after Debbie Purdy, who is an MS sufferer, won the historic judgement from the House of Lords.

The guidance, however, will not remove the offence of assisted suicide under the Suicide Act 1961. It will but make the situation clearer for people who help relatives die in circumstances of “compassionate” assisted suicide.

The five law lords involved gave a unanimous ruling that the DPP must issue a custom-built policy stating the circumstances that would lead to prosecution in such cases, and those cases where it would not.

This is the first time the courts have asked the DPP to detail the circumstances of prosecution.

A temporary guidance is planned to be issued within eight weeks, with a draft prosecution policy being drawn up for public consultation.

A final policy statement would be published by next spring.

Keir Starmer says, “We have been handed a very big baton...this is extremely difficult and involves very sensitive issues. But we will run with it”.