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Assisted dying bill sponsor opens debate with criticism of Lords
Labour MP Lauren Edwards, the bill’s sponsor, is the first to speak.
She has criticised the House of Lords for what she said was the obstruction of the assisted dying bill in the previous parliamentary session.
“Many members would no doubt prefer to be working in their constituencies today. They are not, because a small number of peers in the other place chose to prevent any votes taking place on the substance of that bill,” she said.
“That decision means that one of the most significant national conversations that we have been having as legislators was brought to an abrupt halt. And who suffers detriment as a result? Clearly, the terminally ill and their families, who had a fair assumption that the will of the people they elected to represent them in this chamber would be respected.”
Key events
My colleague Helena Horton is awaiting the Green party’s announcement of its candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras byelection. She said the concert hall is full of excited greens, who are in an upbeat mood. “The general consensus among them is, unsurprisingly, that leader Zack Polanski will be the chosen candidate.”
Conservative MP Karen Bradley said previous supporters of the assisted dying bill should feel “no shame” in opposing the proposal now.
She told the Commons: “You do not have to repudiate the vote you cast last time in order to vote differently today.
“You do not have to decide that assisted dying can never be right. You do not have to abandon the compassion that led you to support the principle.
“You need to only ask whether this bill in this form, on the evidence before us now today, is safe enough for parliament to force into law.”
She added: “There would be something profoundly wrong with a parliament in which members felt bound by an earlier vote, regardless of everything they had learned.”
Outside parliament, supporters and opponents of the assisted dying bill have gathered to make their views heard as MPs debate the legislation in the Commons today:
Badenoch urges caution over 'badly drafted' assisted dying bill
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has warned against trying to “ram” through the “badly drafted” assisted dying bill, PA reports.
Badenoch, who opposes the legislation, told the news agency:
I have significant concerns about the bill in and of itself.
It’s rushed, it’s badly drafted – and I say this as someone who is not, in principle, opposed to assisted suicide.
I think we need to be very careful about what we’re doing.
I don’t think our NHS is ready and I think this should be something that the government does thoughtfully, not a private members’ bill, let alone one which has failed before and which they’re trying to ram through with government numbers.
I think that’s wrong.”
'Government must fix the crisis in palliative care,' says Marie Curie
While the debate continues, we have a comment from Sam Royston, executive director of research and policy at Marie Curie. He said the government must address the crisis in palliative care regardless of what happens with assisted dying, calling for a new framework and funding to ensure everyone has access to compassionate end-of-life care.
He said:
Whatever happens with assisted dying, the UK government must fix the crisis in palliative care.
It is devastating that nearly one in three people die without the help they need. Too many spend their final days in pain or on busy, chaotic hospital wards, while families are left fighting for help instead of spending time with the people they love.
The prime minister has spoken movingly from personal experience about why health and social care must change. His government must now publish the palliative and end of life care modern service framework this autumn in England backed by a time-limited, three-year transformation fund to support its implementation.
How we support people at the end of life reflects our values of community and fellowship as a civilised society, and we must ensure that everyone can rely on compassionate, round-the-clock care.”
Edwards said there was an opportunity to both improve palliative care and support assisted dying “to create a holistic, end-of-life care system that will deliver choice and dignity”.
I think it’s absolutely right that, for instance, the prime minister and the government have said that improving palliative care must be a priority for him and his government. I think that’s something that we can all support.
I think everybody should have access to good quality palliative and hospice end-of-life care at their final moment.”
Edwards said the bill being debated “is not quite the exact same bill” previously introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, adding: “It does incorporate two amendments that were agreed without a vote in the House of Lords last time.”
Assisted dying bill sponsor opens debate with criticism of Lords
Labour MP Lauren Edwards, the bill’s sponsor, is the first to speak.
She has criticised the House of Lords for what she said was the obstruction of the assisted dying bill in the previous parliamentary session.
“Many members would no doubt prefer to be working in their constituencies today. They are not, because a small number of peers in the other place chose to prevent any votes taking place on the substance of that bill,” she said.
“That decision means that one of the most significant national conversations that we have been having as legislators was brought to an abrupt halt. And who suffers detriment as a result? Clearly, the terminally ill and their families, who had a fair assumption that the will of the people they elected to represent them in this chamber would be respected.”
Here is a photo on the newswires showing supporters of the assisted dying bill demonstrating outside parliament this morning ahead of the Commons vote:
Watch: Commons debate on assisted dying bill
The Commons debate on the assisted dying bill will begin shortly, you can watch the livestream here:
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander is on the media round this morning for Labour. Commenting on the assisted dying bill, she said she expected a “very fulsome debate” in the Commons today.
When asked by Sky News whether she believed MPs would vote the bill through, she said: “I don’t have a crystal ball, the government is neutral.
“The prime minister has been very clear that this is a matter of conscience.
“I think it’s right that the government has said whatever the will of parliament is, the government will respect it. And so I think that there will be a very fulsome debate in the House of Commons.”
Also today, the Green party will announce its Holborn and St Pancras candidate this morning, with leader Zack Polanksi tipped to have won last night’s vote by local party members. He was up against local councillor Hamza Chowdhury for the nomination. We’ll bring you the outcome as soon as it is announced.
Esther Rantzen now ‘too physically fragile’ to end her life in Switzerland
Raphael Boyd
Esther Rantzen has said she is no longer able to travel to Switzerland to end her life because she has become “too physically fragile”.
Rantzen, who presented the TV current affairs programme That’s Life! for 21 years and founded the youth support charity Childline, had intended to end her life in a Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023.
The broadcaster, 86, said in a statement on Thursday that her quality of life had deteriorated since her diagnosis, and that she was ready to end her life but was no longer able to make the journey despite having joined Dignitas about a year after learning she was terminally ill.
Rantzen said: “Unfortunately, when I was strong enough to make the flight and go to Dignitas, my life was not unbearably painful, indeed, I was able to relax in my beloved cottage in the New Forest.
“And by the time life did become unbearable, I was too physically fragile to make the journey and go through the Dignitas process.
“So even though I had spent the money and made the plans, I was not ready to end my life back then, and did not realise that would be my last chance.”
Read more:
Assisted dying bill returns to the Commons
Morning, and welcome to our UK politics blog. The assisted dying bill is back in the Commons today, where MPs will vote on a proposal that would allow adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to seek medical assistance to end their lives.
MPs had previously voted through the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, in June 2025, but it foundered in the House of Lords earlier this year after opponents tabled more than 1,280 amendments. Prime minister Andy Burnham has confirmed he will not vote, saying he does not want to “unduly influence the debate”.
The bill has been revived by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who said there was “a real human cost to the delay in passing this legislation and correcting the injustices and cruelty of the current law”. Two Labour MPs have also warned of “extraordinary risks” if ministers try to force the assisted dying bill using an obscure parliamentary procedure, should it continue to be blocked by the Lords. My colleagues Jessica Elgot and Peter Walker have the full report here:
If the bill is voted through, it will then go through further debate and possible amendments before MPs vote on it again at third reading. It would then move to the Lords for scrutiny before returning to the Commons.
If the bill passes, the UK would join European countries such as Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, as well as Australia, Canada and the US, where it is legal in 13 states.
The Commons debate begins at 9.30am, with a vote scheduled for 2.30pm. We’ll bring you the latest developments throughout the day.
