Kim Leadbeater MP’s Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying failed to pass both Houses of Parliament by the end of the parliamentary session in April 2026.
Hours of debate on the Bill in both the House of Commons and Lords illustrated why this legislation would have been unworkable in practice. Reasonable amendments that were tabled by MPs and Peers to provide additional safeguards were rejected by the Bill sponsor.
I was particularly concerned by Kim Leadbeater’s decision to remove the safeguard of a High Court judge to check each person’s eligibility for an assisted death before granting that right. It has also been clear that the Bill lacked the confidence of NHS medical colleges, and there was legitimate concern about the impact on the NHS budget and that any NHS assisted dying service risked diverting resources away from palliative and end of life care services.
Through the Private Member’s Bill ballot, it is possible that a backbench MP could introduce another Bill on assisted dying in the 2026-7 Parliamentary session. I will carefully consider any such Bill if and when it is proposed. However, media reports suggest that a new Bill is unlikely to vary from the substance of the legislation introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP.
Supporters of assisted dying have suggested that the Parliament Act could be used to drive through any future legislation on this issue. It has never been used for a Private Member's Bill brought by a backbench MP, and I am firmly against it being used in this context, given the huge societal consequences of legalising assisted dying.