Assisted dying bill to return to Commons as Edwards warns Lords to 'finish the job'

The new push

Labour MP Lauren Edwards will use her private member's bill slot to reintroduce identical legislation to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, less than two months after the previous bill ran out of time in the House of Lords. Edwards, who came second in the private members' ballot, told the BBC she wanted to "finish the job" and that the Lords should not have the final say over a measure backed by elected MPs.

“It's perfectly reasonable for us to ask the House of Lords to finish the job.”

A turbulent legislative history

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, originally brought by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, passed the Commons by 23 votes in June 2025 but was blocked in the Lords this April. Peers submitted more than 1,000 amendments, many aimed at introducing safeguards, which delayed progress until the bill lapsed. The proposed law would allow terminally ill adults over 18 expected to die within six months to end their own lives with expert oversight.

Parliament Act threat

By reintroducing an identical bill, Edwards can trigger the Parliament Act if the Lords rejects it again. The rarely used constitutional mechanism (deployed seven times in a century) allows the Commons to override the upper chamber when identical legislation is passed in two consecutive sessions. Edwards argued that allowing unelected peers to block the will of the Commons undermines public trust.

“We owe it to all those terminally ill people and their families who are depending on this Bill to ensure that parliament can come to a final decision on the question of choice at the end of life.”

Labour divisions resurface

The reintroduction has exposed fresh rifts inside the Parliamentary Labour Party. Former health secretary Wes Streeting, now a declared leadership challenger, opposed the original bill, while Andy Burnham's position remains unclear. Ashley Dalton, another Labour MP, warned that the bill was a distraction from pressing crises including the cost of living and NHS funding, describing it as "deeply divisive and flawed." Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously voted in favour, a position that was seen as crucial to securing the narrow Commons majority.

What happens next

The private members' bill will have its first reading in the coming days. Supporters, including Dignity in Dying's chief executive Sarah Wootton, welcomed the move as a chance to give terminally ill people "proper choice and protection." Opponents, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists and several disability charities, have warned that using the Parliament Act would enshrine legislation they consider unsafe. The bill will now face months of parliamentary scrutiny, with the prospect of becoming law without Lords consent if MPs back it for a second time.