A controversial assisted dying bill, sponsored by MP Kim Leadbeater, is facing significant obstacles in the House of Lords, with supporters now believing it is “near impossible” for the legislation to pass before the end of the parliamentary session.
The bill, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for those with a terminal diagnosis and less than six months to live, was passed by the House of Commons last year. However, it has since stalled in the upper chamber, where opponents have employed various procedural tactics to delay its progress.
According to MP sources, Conservative peers such as Michael Gove, Thérèse Coffey, David Frost and Mark Harper have been determined to block the bill’s passage. Peers deny deliberately filibustering, but claim the legislation is flawed and merits extensive scrutiny.
With over 1,000 amendments tabled and only a small fraction debated so far, the bill’s backers fear it will not even reach a vote before the parliamentary session ends in May, at which point it will automatically fall. This has left many MPs “in blind fury” about the apparent derailment of a bill they believe has strong public support.
Leadbeater, the bill’s sponsor, has expressed her frustration at having to tell members of the public that the law has not yet changed, despite their gratitude. “Every day a member of the public comes up to me to say thank you for changing the law, and I have to tell them that we still have to pass the Lords,” she said.
Supporters argue the House of Lords is undermining the democratic will of the elected House of Commons, and that extensive reform of the upper chamber may be necessary. However, opponents insist the extensive scrutiny is justified given the bill’s contentious nature and lack of support from medical bodies.
With time running out, the bill’s backers are engaged in intensive discussions with the government to find a way to force a vote in the Lords. But even they now acknowledge the legislation’s passage appears “near impossible” before the current session ends.
