 In January 2011, Stewart became a patron for Dignity in Dying and campaigns for an assisted dying law in the UK.In August 2014, Stewart was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to "The Guardian" expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.In 2016, Stewart, along with Benedict Cumberbatch, led more than 280 figures from the arts world who backed a vote to remain in the EU in regards to the referendum on that issue.