Assisted dying bill to return to the Commons tomorrow as MPs are warned it represents a ‘this is it moment’ thanks to controversial plans to force it through without House of Lords approval

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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is set to return to the House of Commons, reviving the assisted dying debate after an earlier version of the legislation, steered by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, ran out of parliamentary time and fell in April following a lengthy stand-off in the House of Lords. The bill has now been taken up by another Labour backbencher, Lauren Edwards, who has told colleagues she felt a duty to the many people who wanted the reform carried through after the previous attempt was not allowed to reach a conclusion. Under the proposal, terminally ill adults in England and Wales given less than six months to live could seek an assisted death, subject to sign-off from two doctors and a specialist panel. As a private member's bill, it is not government-backed, and MPs are expected to vote according to conscience rather than party lines.

The renewed push has proved contentious largely because of how supporters hope to get it through this time. Peers reportedly tabled well over a thousand amendments to the previous bill, with a small handful of them responsible for the bulk of that total, delaying it so severely that campaigners accused the Lords of effectively talking it out and denying democracy, while opponents countered that the legislation was fundamentally flawed. Backers of the new bill are said to be prepared to invoke the rarely-used Parliament Act, which would allow the Commons to overrule the Lords and pass the law even without peers' consent. That prospect has alarmed some MPs, including Gareth Snell and Meg Hillier — who sat on opposite sides of the original vote — and who have jointly written to colleagues cautioning that bringing back an unamended bill and forcing it through in this way would amount to a needless constitutional gamble on a subject that deserves far more careful deliberation.

The political backdrop has also shifted since MPs last considered the issue. Sir Keir Starmer, a known supporter of changing the law, has been succeeded as Prime Minister by Andy Burnham, who has indicated he does not share that enthusiasm and is expected to abstain from Friday's vote so as not to sway the debate. Public figures remain split too: broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen has again spoken out in favour of reform, while actor Liz Carr is among those campaigning against the bill on the grounds that it does not adequately protect vulnerable people. In the Commons itself, support appears to have softened since the legislation was last voted on — it narrowly passed on that occasion, with the majority shrinking sharply after roughly a dozen MPs switched from backing it to opposing it, some citing concern that a previously promised safeguard requiring High Court approval had been dropped, weakening the bill's protections.

New polling shared ahead of the debate suggests the public broadly shares the more cautious instincts of critics such as Mr Burnham. The survey found large majorities want assurance that palliative and social care are adequately funded before assisted dying is introduced, amid concern that pressure on NHS and social care budgets could push some people towards ending their lives earlier than they would wish for fear of not receiving proper support. Most respondents also said NHS funding should not be diverted to pay for assisted dying services. With the Commons debate expected to run through Friday afternoon and a vote likely by mid-afternoon, MPs face a decision that will determine not only the future of the bill itself but also whether the Commons is prepared to override the Lords to see it enacted.

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