UK MPs debate and vote again on assisted dying bill

The House of Commons on Wednesday reopened debate on a bill that would allow adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to seek medical assistance to end their lives, with MPs scheduled to vote in the afternoon.

The legislation, known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, was first passed by MPs in June 2025 after being introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. It stalled in the House of Lords earlier this year after opponents put forward more than 1,280 amendments.

The bill has now been revived by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who opened Wednesday's debate by criticising peers for blocking a vote on the bill's substance during the previous parliamentary session. She argued that the delay in passing the legislation carries a real human cost and prolongs what she called injustices in the current law.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed he would not cast a vote, saying he did not want to unduly influence the debate. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the government remained neutral on the issue, noting that the prime minister has described it as a matter of conscience and that the government would respect parliament's will regardless of the outcome.

Two Labour MPs have separately warned of significant risks if ministers attempted to push the bill through using an obscure parliamentary procedure, should the Lords continue to block it.

If passed, the bill will proceed to further debate and possible amendments before a further Commons vote at third reading, followed by renewed scrutiny in the House of Lords. Should it ultimately become law, the UK would join countries including Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, as well as Australia, Canada and 13 US states, where assisted dying is already legal.

Separately, broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023, said she is now too physically frail to travel to Switzerland to end her life at the Dignitas clinic, despite having earlier joined the organisation and made plans to do so.