More than 100 Labour MPs demand Starmer steps in to stop Lords blocking assisted dying law – but critics say ‘flawed’ legislation ‘needs to fail’

More than 100 Labour MPs demand Starmer steps in to stop Lords blocking assisted dying law – but critics say ‘flawed’ legislation ‘needs to fail’

Over 100 Labour members of Parliament have called on Keir Starmer to take decisive action as the House of Lords threatens to halt progress on the assisted dying bill. The group argues that the upper chamber’s peers are employing procedural strategies to delay the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Just 500 of the 1,200 proposed amendments have been discussed after 11 days of scrutiny. This has sparked concerns that the legislation may not secure approval from both peers and MPs before the current parliamentary session concludes. If the bill fails to pass, it could be withdrawn, prompting calls for the Prime Minister’s intervention.

A joint letter signed by over 150 MPs—spanning multiple parties including the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Greens, Plaid Cymru, and Reform UK—urges Starmer to ensure Parliament can finalize the debate in the next session. The letter emphasizes that the elected House of Commons should hold the authority to decide on the matter, despite the government’s neutrality on the issue.

“A small number of peers have been using procedural tactics to block the Bill in the House of Lords, and it now appears very likely that they will prevent it returning to the Commons before the end of this session,” the letter states. “While we fully respect the Government’s neutrality on the principle of assisted dying, we are confident you would agree that we cannot be neutral on the fundamental democratic principle that it is for the elected House of Commons to decide on this matter.”

Introduced as a Private Members’ Bill, the legislation aims to grant terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live the right to apply for an assisted death, requiring approval from two doctors and a panel including a social worker, legal expert, and psychiatrist. However, its progress has slowed in the Lords due to debates over proposed changes, such as stricter assessments for young people and safeguards against “death tourism.”

Opponents have been accused of attempting to “talk out” the bill as it moves through the House of Lords. Lord Falconer, a former Labour minister and the bill’s sponsor, warned that the upper chamber risks being viewed as an “irrelevant talking shop” if it fails to advance the measure. He also pledged to use a rare parliamentary procedure to override the peers should the bill be stalled.

Labour MP Karl Turner, who initially supported the bill but later withdrew, declared the legislation “isn’t fit for purpose,” asserting that “that’s the truth. And that’s why it needs to fail.” Meanwhile, fellow Labour MP Ashley Dalton, who recently resigned as a government minister while undergoing breast cancer treatment, criticized the process: “The assisted dying debate has been called Parliament at its best; it’s the opposite. It’s for Parliament to make good law. It’s not about broad principles; it’s about detail.”

With most amendments to strengthen the bill rejected, Dalton argued it remains flawed and inadequate in protecting vulnerable individuals. The letter to Starmer also noted that the bill would still be a conscience issue for MPs, maintaining the government’s neutrality while allowing Parliament to act in the next session.