I am deeply concerned that leading supporters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill have mooted using the Parliament Act to bring Kim Leadbeater’s Bill into law. The Parliament Act allows for a bill that has been passed by the Commons but rejected by the Lords to return in a new parliamentary session and automatically become law without Peers’ approval.
In order for this to happen, an identical bill would have to pass the Commons a second time, but would then become law even without the Lords' approval. It is important to recognise that even supporters of the Bill, including Kim Leadbeater, have admitted that there are workable amendments that need to be made. Therefore, there is a very real risk that invoking the Parliament Act could see a totally impractical and dangerous piece of legislation end up on the Statute Book.
These are hugely controversial powers which are normally reserved for key government manifesto commitments. The Parliament Act has never been used for a Private Members Bill brought by a backbench MP. Given the huge societal consequences of legislation in this area, I am firmly against it being used in this context.