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MPs vow to bring back assisted dying bill after ‘undemocratic’ Lords block
TL;DR
MPs are set to reintroduce the assisted dying bill after it was blocked in the House of Lords. The identical bill will be tabled in the next parliamentary session to prevent further obstruction.
Key points
- MPs plan to reintroduce the assisted dying bill
- The bill was blocked in the House of Lords
- Over 1,200 amendments were tabled against the bill
- Kim Leadbeater is leading the reintroduction effort
- The bill allows terminally ill adults to apply for assisted death
Mentioned in this story
Kim LeadbeaterHouse of LordsEnglandWales
MPs and peers who led the assisted dying bill have promised to bring it back to parliament after it ran out of time in the House of Lords.
Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who tabled the private member’s bill, said the plan would be to table an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, which would prevent peers blocking it again, as the Lords cannot stop the same bill twice.
The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which completed its passage through the Commons in June last year, was blocked in the Lords after more than 1,200 amendments were tabled. The bill’s supporters said it was a denial of democracy. More than 800 of the amendments originated from seven peers.
The bill proposed allowing adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel. With the current session of parliament ending next week, it has run out of time and has fallen.
A supporter of the assisted dying legislation makes his case outside parliament on Friday. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Opponents of the bill said it was flawed and campaign groups said so many Lords amendments were necessary to fix glaring weaknesses and contradictions.
But speaking at a press conference shortly after the bill fell, Leadbeater said it had been sunk by disingenuous opponents who would never vote for any version of it. She added: “This isn’t what democracy looks like.”
Asked if the bill would return, Leadbeater said: “Absolutely.” She went on: “There is a clear public appetite for changing the law, and as legislators we have a duty to do something about that.
“I think there is certainly an appetite to bring legislation back, even from certain people who voted against it, because they’ve been so upset by what happened in the House of Lords.
“I’ve got a huge amount of respect for the House of Lords, and I’ve tried to maintain a civilised approach to this debate, but it’s really difficult to see that what’s happened is anything other than undemocratic.”
Q&A
What is the assisted dying bill proposed by MPs?
The assisted dying bill aims to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death with medical approval.
Why was the assisted dying bill blocked in the House of Lords?
The bill was blocked due to over 1,200 amendments being tabled, with more than 800 coming from just seven peers, which supporters deemed a denial of democracy.
Who is Kim Leadbeater and what role does she play in the assisted dying bill?
Kim Leadbeater is a Labour MP who tabled the private member’s bill for assisted dying and is leading efforts to reintroduce it in the next parliamentary session.
What happens next for the assisted dying bill after it ran out of time?
The bill's supporters plan to table an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, as the House of Lords cannot block the same bill twice.
