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The Guardian World1 min read
Assisted dying bill to run out of time as Lords hold final debate
TL;DR
A bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales will expire on Friday after stalling in the House of Lords. Despite support from MPs, there will be no further debate time allocated in the current parliamentary session.
Key points
- Assisted dying bill will expire on Friday
- Bill stalled in the House of Lords
- House of Commons supported the bill
- Next parliamentary session begins on 13 May
- Supporters urge for a decision on end-of-life choices
A proposed law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales will run out of time on Friday, almost 17 months after MPs first voted in favour of it.
The bill has stalled in the House of Lords after the House of Commons supported allowing terminally ill adults expected to die within six months to seek medical help to end their life, subject to certain safeguards.
Supporters and opponents have accepted the bill will not complete all the required stages to become law in the current session of Parliament, with no further debate time allocated beyond Friday.
But there is a possibility another attempt is made to introduce the proposals in the next session of Parliament, which will begin on 13 May.
Several peers who support the bill have signed a letter to MPs saying the elected chamber should decide what happens next and they believe Parliament "must come to a decision on choice at the end of life as soon as possible".
They accused opponents in the Lords of using "delaying tactics" but critics have argued the bill lacks safeguards and the debates in the upper chamber have "exposed further problems".
Opponents have also written to MPs in which they accuse the backers of the bill of having "stonewalled or rejected nearly every attempt to amend or improve" it.
More than 1,200 amendments were tabled in the Lords, which is believed to be a record high for a bill introduced by a backbencher.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was supported in principle by MPs on 29 November 2024 by a majority of 55 and cleared the Commons on 20 June last year with a majority of 23.
In the Lords, the bill has not cleared all its stages and Friday marks the 14th and final day of committee – which allows the legislation to be assessed line by line and for changes to be considered.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in the Commons, told the BBC she was a "mixture of feeling extremely disappointed and upset and also quite angry" that the legislation would fall in the Lords.
She said there were MPs willing to take the same bill on during the next session should they be successful in the private members' bill ballot, which can guarantee debating time on Friday sittings.
Leadbeater said she hoped it would then clear the Commons again and agreement could be reached with peers over amendments.
She also acknowledged the powers in the Parliament Acts could be used to prevent it falling again.
Under the terms of the rarely used legislation, if an identical bill passes the Commons a second time then the Lords cannot prevent it progressing again and it would become law at the end of that second session even without peers' approval.
Q&A
What is the status of the assisted dying bill in England and Wales?
The assisted dying bill will run out of time on Friday and is unlikely to complete the necessary stages to become law in the current session.
Why has the assisted dying bill stalled in the House of Lords?
The bill has stalled due to a lack of allocated debate time, despite initial support from the House of Commons.
When is the next opportunity for the assisted dying bill to be debated?
Another attempt to introduce the assisted dying proposals may occur in the next session of Parliament, which begins on 13 May.
What do supporters of the assisted dying bill want from Parliament?
Supporters are urging Parliament to make a decision on end-of-life choices as soon as possible, emphasizing that the elected chamber should decide the bill's fate.
