Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Advances Amidst Intense Scrutiny in UK Parliament
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a private member's bill introduced in October 2024 by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, aims to legalise assisted dying for adults over 18 who are expected to die within six months, subject to safeguards.
In November 2024, the principle of the bill was supported in the House of Commons. Following this, a cross-party committee reviewed over 500 proposed changes. In June 2025, MPs voted by a 23-point margin to progress the bill to the House of Lords.
As of December 2025, the House of Lords is conducting detailed scrutiny of the bill, having completed four of its 14 days allocated for line-by-line examination. During this process, peers have proposed more than 1,000 amendments, setting a record for a backbench private member's bill. Supporters consider the amendments essential safeguards, while critics view them as delaying tactics.
Examples of proposed amendments include requirements that individuals seeking assisted death have not left the country in the past 12 months and that the assisted death be filmed.
The government remains neutral on the bill, treating it as a conscience issue without instructing MPs or peers on how to vote. The Lords chief whip has allocated an additional 10 Friday sessions to allow further debate.
There is significant time pressure, as the bill must secure final approval from both Houses before the end of the next spring session. If not approved in time, the bill would fall and require restarting, since private member's bills cannot be carried over between sessions. Although the Parliament Act could theoretically be used to bypass the Lords, doing so would be unprecedented for a private member's bill.
