Assisted Dying Bill heads towards historic Third Reading in Commons, with solid and sustained MP support for law change
Today (Friday 13 June), MPs continued the important work of strengthening Kim Leadbeater MP’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, as it progresses towards its historic Third Reading in the Commons next week.
It is widely expected that the Bill will face its final debate and vote in the Commons (Third Reading) on Friday 20 June, after MPs vote on the remaining clauses and amendments selected by the Speaker.
As the sitting opened, MPs accepted a number of amendments designed to strengthen and clarify key provisions of the Bill, all tabled by Kim Leadbeater, in consultation with the Government, and debated on the first day of Report Stage last month. The amendments – including enhanced protections for healthcare professionals, and clearer procedural and reporting protocols – all passed without being pushed to a vote.
MPs then spent more than four hours debating a series of further proposed amendments to the legislation, taking the total number of hours of scrutiny and debate the Bill has received in Parliament to more than 100 hours – more time than most Government Bills receive, as the Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, confirmed last week.
As the session closed, MPs supported a number of Kim Leadbeater’s amendments, setting out new regulations for approved substances and devices for self-administration, and prohibiting the direct advertising of assisted dying services while maintaining patient access to high-quality information and advice about the service.
An amendment by Dame Meg Hillier MP, which would have hindered patient access by gagging doctors from discussing assisted dying with eligible adults unless a patient raised it themselves, was voted down by a majority of MPs – following strong opposition from the British Medical Association.
The Bill already stipulates that assisted dying must only be discussed alongside all other available end-of-life options, including palliative care and psychological support. MPs supported a separate amendment by Meg Hillier – who is opposed to the Bill as a whole – banning healthcare professionals from raising assisted dying with under-18s. A number of MPs supported the amendment who remain committed to voting for the Bill at Third Reading. The Bill’s criteria is clear that only terminally ill, mentally competent adults over the age of 18, deemed to have six months or less to live, can request assisted dying.
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying, said:
“Our country is closer than ever before to the safe, compassionate, and tightly regulated assisted dying law that so many people want, from all walks of life and every part of the country.
“In November, a clear majority of MPs backed the principle of giving choice to dying people. In recent weeks, MPs who offered conditional support have been reassured by the additional protections and Government engagement to ensure the Bill is practical and operable. Others who absented or opposed the Bill have since said they will vote in favour – including senior Labour MPs.
“MPs across the House recognise this is a strengthened Bill that commands trust, and offers far greater safeguards for dying people, families and healthcare professionals than the status quo.
“Our country has never been closer to meaningful change. Scotland is progressing its own Bill, the Isle of Man legalised assisted dying this year and Jersey is set to debate proposals in the autumn after backing the principle last year. More than 300 million people worldwide already have access to choice at the end of life. The momentum is undeniable, and Westminster now has the chance to make history.”
Two members of the Bill Committee have confirmed that the improvements made have addressed their earlier concerns. Jack Abbott MP, who previously voted against the Bill, and Marie Tidball MP, who backed it conditionally in November, both cited strengthened safeguards as pivotal in shifting their positions. Senior Labour MPs Chris Bryant and Ellie Reeves have indicated this week they will vote for the Bill, having been absent at Second Reading.
At the Bill’s landmark Second Reading in November, a decisive majority of MPs voted in favour of the principle of change following more than four hours of debate. This was followed by more than 90 hours of further detailed scrutiny and debate at Committee Stage.
In Scotland last month, the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, proposed by Liam McArthur MSP, passed its Stage 1 vote with strong cross-party support, marking a major step forward in Holyrood. On the Isle of Man, the Assisted Dying Bill has cleared all stages in both the House of Keys and the Legislative Council and is now awaiting Royal Assent, with the law expected to come into force as early as 2027. Jersey’s assisted dying bill is expected to be debated later this spring, after Assembly Members voted to support the principle of the reform last year.
The largest ever opinion poll on assisted dying, conducted in early 2024, found three-quarters of Britons support a change in the law, with majority backing in every constituency in Great Britain and across all demographics.
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For more information or interview requests, please email Tom Steen, Media and Campaigns Officer at Dignity in Dying, tom.steen@dignityindying.org.uk or call 07356135578.