Why are MPs voting on assisted dying again?
MPs will vote again on proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales on Friday. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow adults with fewer than six months to live to apply to be given help to end their own life. This would be subject to certain safeguards, including requiring the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.
Why are assisted dying proposals back in the Commons again?
Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who has brought forward an identical bill to the previous attempt, says she wants to ask the House of Lords to "finish the job". The last effort to change the law ran out of time to clear all the necessary stages in Parliament.
Proposals tabled by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater in 2024 to legalise assisted dying cleared the House of Commons on 20 June last year with a majority of 23. But it did not clear all its stages in the Lords, with peers tabling more than 1,200 amendments. Supporters of the bill accused some peers of using delaying tactics to block the proposals, while critics argued it did not have sufficient safeguards to protect vulnerable people.
What’s happening on Friday?
From 09:30 BST, what is known as a second reading debate will take place—which gives MPs the opportunity to discuss the main principles of the bill. The debate cannot run beyond 14:30 BST, and a vote is expected before that cut-off time. Both sides expect the result to be close. "It’s on a knife edge," one of those closely involved told the BBC. Opponents believe support for the bill has weakened since MPs last considered it. But they are not confident they have the numbers to win the vote.
Supporters and those opposed believe the outcome will come down to who turns up on Friday, a day when many MPs are typically in their constituencies rather than in Westminster. Several MPs the BBC spoke to despaired that such a significant social change could hinge on their colleagues’ diary commitments. "I can’t tell someone not to go to their sister’s wedding," said one MP leading efforts to persuade backers of the bill to vote.
Is anything different with this bill?
Edwards made clear from the start that she wanted to bring forward a bill that was identical to the one approved by the Commons in June last year. This paves the way for rarely used powers to override objections from peers should they refuse to pass it again. Bills usually only become law if both Houses of Parliament agree on its final wording. Under the terms of the Parliament Acts, external, if an identical bill passes the Commons in two successive parliamentary sessions then the Lords cannot halt its progress a second time. Peers can suggest amendments which, if agreed by the Commons, would be added to the bill. But ultimately the powers could enable the bill to become law at the end of this current session even without peers’ approval. The Parliament Acts were last used in 2004 to push through a ban on fox hunting.
Opponents have warned that legalising assisted dying could lead to a "slippery slope" and put vulnerable people at risk. Supporters argue that it would provide a compassionate option for those with terminal illnesses who are facing unbearable suffering.
