Assisted Dying Bill Set for New Vote

Assisted dying could still become law in England and Wales despite an apparent Commons defeat.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow mentally competent adults expected to die within six months to have medical assistance to take their own lives. It was introduced by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, in October 2024.

MPs voted on it three times. It narrowly passed the Commons at third reading by 314 to 291 in June last year, but stalled in the Lords after roughly 1,200 amendments were tabled, 700 of them by eight peers.

In an email, Labour MP Yuan Yang says Lauren Edwards has permission to reintroduce the bill as a Private Members Bill.

"The same legislation that the Commons passed at the third reading in June 2025 will be voted on by MPs again.

"This will go straight to a vote, as it is identical legislation that has previously been voted through the Commons.  At the time, I voted against this legislation passing.

"Currently, I intend to vote against it again, as my concerns remain and the overall picture around palliative care hasn't significantly changed."

"The fact that seven peers tabled 800 amendments to the Bill, with amendments typically debated one by one in the Lords, means the Bill was doomed to run out of time.

"We need to make sure the Lords is a better functioning upper house."

A debate on the assisted dying bill is scheduled for Friday, September 11.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter