Public demands Assisted Dying Bill return as Lords delay dents trust in Parliament, new polling reveals
Seven in 10 people want the Assisted Dying Bill to return to Parliament for a final decision, new polling commissioned by Dignity in Dying reveals today, as terminally ill and bereaved campaigners gathered with MPs and Peers in Parliament Square ahead of the Bill’s final sitting in the House of Lords.
The survey found that 69% believe the debate should continue until Parliament reaches a conclusion, while only 14% believe the House of Lords should be able to prevent the Bill becoming law.
More than half of respondents (53%) said the Lords’ failure to allow the Bill to complete its stages had reduced their trust in how Parliament works.
It comes as 200 Lords write to MPs today criticising the “delaying tactics” which prevented the Bill from reaching a democratic conclusion. They pass the baton back to MPs, saying “It is now for the elected chamber to decide what should happen next”.
Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dignity in Dying said:
“At the end of today’s debate, the Assisted Dying Bill will fall. Not because the argument has been lost. Not because votes have been defeated. But because of procedural sabotage by a handful of unelected Peers whose sole objective is to block the will of the elected Commons and the public for change.
“This is delay, but it is not defeat. This polling sends a clear message: the public has not given up, and MPs must not give up either. Indeed, MPs have already signalled their determination to bring the Bill back as soon as possible in the new parliamentary session and finish what they started.
“Every day this reform is delayed, dying people and their families continue to suffer under an outdated law that fails them. The public supports change, MPs support change, and this campaign will not stop until Parliament delivers the compassionate reform this country needs.”
Kit Malthouse, Conservative MP for North West Hampshire and former policing minister, said:
“It’s important to call out these tactics for what they are; a last desperate throw of the dice by opponents who know they are losing the argument. They have run down the clock because they fear a final decision.
“Last year, MPs voted for a stronger, safer law for dying people and that democratic mandate still stands. Across the House, work is already underway to bring this Bill back.
“Wherever you stand on this issue, we cannot allow a tiny unelected minority to hijack our democracy in this way.”
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with six months or less to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to strict legal safeguards. It was approved by MPs last June after months of scrutiny and remains strongly backed by the public, with polling consistently showing around three-quarters support a change in the law.
The Bill has received more than 200 hours of scrutiny and debate across both Houses of Parliament, making it one of the most scrutinised reforms in history.
More than 1,200 amendments were tabled for debate in the House of Lords, effectively blocking the Bill from passing by the end of this parliamentary session. Around three-quarters of these amendments were tabled by just nine Peers (around 1% of Lords) who oppose assisted dying in principle; a tactic described by constitutional experts as a ‘filibuster’, deliberate procedural obstruction.
Terminally ill people, bereaved families and campaigners gathered alongside Bill sponsors Kim Leadbeater MP and Lord Falconer and other crossparty MPs and Peers this morning, urging Parliament not to abandon reform and to ensure the Bill returns in the next session.
Sophie Blake, who is living with incurable secondary breast cancer, is campaigning for a change in the law and will be watching the final Lords debate from the public gallery. She said:
“For people like me, time is precious and delay has a very real human cost. Last summer, when Parliament voted for this Bill, many terminally ill people finally felt hope and peace of mind.
“That hope has been shaken, but it has not gone. I still believe Parliament will do the right thing. More people than ever understand why dying people need choice, compassion and dignity at the end of our lives. The Bill may be delayed, but it has not been defeated.”
The intervention comes days after hundreds of people from across the country gathered on Parliament Square alongside dozens of cross-party MPs, calling on them to honour their democratic mandate and deliver the reform they passed.
More than 110,000 people have signed an official parliamentary petition tabled by Sophie Blake in honour of dear friend and fellow campaigner Nathaniel Dye, who died aged 40 earlier this year from terminal bowel cancer. It calls for action to secure the Bill’s passage and is expected to be considered for a Westminster Hall debate in the coming months. Separately, 150 MPs have written to the Prime Minister urging that time be made available for the Bill to return.
The survey of 2,050 UK adults, conducted by Opinium between 15–17 April 2026, shows that the public has not moved on and does not expect their elected representatives to, either.
The polling finds:
- 69% of people believe the debate on assisted dying should continue until Parliament comes to a decision, with majority support among 2024 Conservative voters (73%), Labour voters (80%), Liberal Democrat voters (84%), and Reform UK voters (69%).
- 14% think the Lords should be able to prevent the Bill from becoming law, with 47% believing the House of Commons should get a final vote on whether the legislation is passed.
- 18% believe it was the right decision by the Lords to allow the Bill to run out of time, compared with 52% who believe it was wrong.
- 53% say the Lords’ failure to allow the bill to complete its stages has reduced their trust in how Parliament works.
ENDS
For more information/requests please contact Tom Steen, Media and Campaigns Officer at tom.steen@dignityindying.org.uk or 07356135578.