More than 100 Labour MPs demand Starmer steps in to stop Lords blocking assisted dying law – but critics say ‘flawed’ legislation ‘needs to fail’
More than 100 Labour MPs demand Starmer steps in to stop Lords blocking assisted dying law – but critics say ‘flawed’ legislation ‘needs to fail’
Over 150 Labour MPs, alongside cross-party colleagues, are urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to intervene after the House of Lords has stalled progress on the assisted dying bill. The group claims that peers in the upper chamber are employing ‘procedural tactics’ to prevent the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill from advancing.
Only half of the 1,200 amendments under consideration have been discussed after 11 days of review in the Lords. This has raised concerns that the bill may not secure approval before the current parliamentary session ends, potentially leading to its collapse. If this occurs, the legislation—originally proposed as a Private Members’ Bill—could be defeated, prompting calls for the Prime Minister’s involvement.
Bill’s provisions and delays
The legislation, if passed, would permit terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to request an assisted death, requiring endorsement from two doctors and a panel including a social worker, legal expert, and psychiatrist. However, its movement through the Lords has been slowed by debates on additional measures, such as enhanced safeguards for young people and mechanisms to curb ‘death tourism’.
Opponents have been accused of attempting to ‘talk out’ the bill, delaying its final passage. A joint letter to the Prime Minister, coordinated by Labour MP Peter Prinsley, argues that a minority of peers is obstructing the process, jeopardizing its return to the Commons before the session concludes.
‘A small number of peers have been using procedural tactics to block the Bill in the House of Lords and it now appears very likely that they will prevent it returning to the Commons before the end of this session,’ the letter states. ‘While we fully respect the Government’s neutrality on the principle of assisted dying, we are confident that you would agree with us that we cannot be neutral on the fundamental democratic principle that it is for the elected House of Commons to decide on this matter.’
Labour’s Lord Falconer, who sponsored the bill in the Lords, warned that the upper chamber risks being viewed as an ‘irrelevant talking shop’ if it fails to make progress. He also pledged to use a parliamentary override if time runs out, ensuring the bill remains viable for future debate.
Critics argue for the bill’s failure
Labour MP Karl Turner, who initially supported the bill but later withdrew, declared the legislation ‘isn’t fit for purpose’ and insisted it ‘needs to fail.’ Fellow Labour MP Ashley Dalton, who recently resigned as a government minister while undergoing breast cancer treatment, echoed this sentiment, stating: ‘The assisted dying debate has been called Parliament at its best; it’s the opposite. It’s for Parliament to make good law. It’s not about broad principles; it’s about detail. With most amendments to improve the Bill rejected, it remains flawed and unable to protect the vulnerable.’
The letter to the Prime Minister further notes that the bill’s future as a conscience issue for MPs would still hold, even if the Government maintains its neutral stance on the topic. It emphasizes the need for a swift resolution in the next parliamentary session.
