The Labour MP behind a fresh attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has warned she is prepared to invoke rarely used powers to override the House of Lords if peers try to block the legislation again.
Lauren Edwards, MP for Rochester and Strood, told the BBC she will bring an identical bill to the one passed by the Commons last year but which ran out of time in the Lords after an unprecedented number of suggested amendments. Her move threatens to trigger the Parliament Act, a mechanism used only seven times in the last century, which allows a bill to become law without Lords approval if it passes the Commons in two consecutive parliamentary sessions.
“Lauren Edwards reintroduces assisted dying bill, threatening to use Parliament Act to override Lords' objections”
“I’m playing by the rules and asking the House of Lords to do the same,” Edwards said. “Laws passed in the House of Commons are then refined by the House of Lords but they don't have the opportunity to block them. It's perfectly reasonable for us to ask the House of Lords to finish the job.”
The proposed legislation, known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, would allow people aged 18 and over who are expected to die within six months to receive help to end their own life, subject to certain safeguards. It was originally brought by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater but failed to clear the Lords in April after peers tabled a flood of amendments.
Opponents of the bill argue it had substantial flaws that could pressure vulnerable people into ending their lives early. The Royal College of Psychiatrists, a range of disability charities and hospices have all raised major concerns about the legislation, according to those who previously warned against using the Parliament Act to force it through.
Edwards said she was open to changes and that many peers had proposed “sensible amendments”. She urged the Lords to “refine the legislation the House of Commons has introduced” — a role she said peers “do admirably”.
Lord Carlile of Berriew acknowledged the bill in its current form was not “robust” but said he and other peers were willing to work with Edwards “in a constructive spirit”. Labour MP Ashley Dalton said she was “deeply …” — her full comments were cut off in reports.
The Parliament Act means that if the Commons passes the identical bill again in this parliamentary session and the Lords do not pass it before the end of the next session, expected in about a year, the unamended bill could become law without their consent. Edwards, by bringing the exact same legislation, is betting that the threat of overriding peers will force them to negotiate rather than block.