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Terminally Ill Bill Stalls in Lords, Reintroduction Planned

4/25/2026

50 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to pass in the House of Lords on 24 April 2026 because parliamentary time ran out.
The bill, which cleared the Commons in June 2025 by 314-291, faced a record 1,200 amendments that stalled it in the Lords.
Labour peer Charlie Falconer called the outcome a travesty.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said supporters will try to reintroduce the bill after the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026.

History

Historical Context

The 1965 Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act, passed by a free vote of 200-98 in the Commons after the Royal Commission’s 1953-55 controversies, permanently ended hanging in Britain by 1969. That parliamentary persistence mirrors today’s stalled 2026 Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which faced about 1,200 Lords amendments despite support from Labour peer Charlie Falconer and MP Kim Leadbeater.

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Story summary

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to pass in the House of Lords on 24 April 2026 because parliamentary time ran out.
The bill, which cleared the Commons in June 2025 by 314-291, faced a record 1,200 amendments that stalled it in the Lords.
Labour peer Charlie Falconer called the outcome a travesty.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said supporters will try to reintroduce the bill after the King’s Speech on 13 May 2026.

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