Full Breakdown
Assisted Dying Bill Fails in House of Lords, Ending Current Parliamentary Attempt
4/25/2026, 9:00:49 AM
Bill's Failure in the Lords
On Friday, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – which would have let terminally ill adults in England and Wales obtain assisted death under medical safeguards – ran out of time in the House of Lords and did not become law this session.
Legislative Journey
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater introduced the private-member’s bill in Oct 2024. It passed a Commons principle vote (55-majority) on 29 Nov 2024 and a second Commons vote (23-majority) on 20 June 2025 before moving to the Lords for line-by-line review until the session ended in June 2025.
Key Players
Kim Leadbeater (Commons sponsor) and Lord Charlie Falconer (Lords sponsor) led the bill; peers opposing include Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson (safeguard concerns) and Baroness Campbell of Surbiton (disability concerns); Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer voted for it while the government stayed neutral; Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called it hopelessly flawed.
Amendment Volume and Time Constraint
Peers tabled more than 1,200 amendments, over 800 of which were sponsored by seven peers, setting a record for a backbench bill and exhausting the limited debate time allocated for the Lords committee stage.
Implications
If enacted, the bill would create a statutory assisted-dying pathway in England and Wales, matching the Isle of Man and Jersey, while opponents warn it could expose vulnerable people to coercion.
Official Positions
The government declared neutrality, urging MPs and peers to vote by conscience. A Number 10 spokesperson said Prime Minister Starmer made no comment beyond his vote. The Lords chief whip added ten extra Friday sessions, noting private-member bills cannot be carried over.
Opposition Views
Baroness Grey-Thompson said the draft was ‘poorly written’ and lacked safeguards. Baroness Therese Coffey warned peers and MPs were prioritising choice over protection from coercion. Lord Baker of Dorking called the Lords’ handling a ‘prolonged filibuster’ and a ‘denial of democracy’.
Conflicting Accounts
Lord Farmer alleged Labour MPs felt pressure from No 10 to support the bill, a claim Leadbeater denied. Amendment counts appear as ‘more than 1,200’ and ‘over 800’ in different reports. Government neutrality is affirmed by officials but contrasted with accusations of covert lobbying.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We don't want to get to that stage, we want this to go through the normal legislative process.” — Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP
- “so important to so many, has not failed on its merits, but failed as a result of procedural wrangling” — Lord Charlie Falconer, former Justice Secretary
- “there are too many gaps in it” — Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympian
- “we will not give up” — Sophie Blake, broadcaster and terminally ill campaigner
Prospects for Reintroduction
Supporters intend to re-enter the private-members’ ballot in the next session and have signalled willingness to invoke the Parliament Acts, though using that mechanism for a backbench bill would be unprecedented.
