MPs warn against using Parliament Act to force through assisted dying bill
MPs on both sides of the assisted dying debate say the House of Lords should be allowed to scrutinise the bill before any attempt to override it.
MPs from opposing sides of the assisted dying debate have urged the House of Commons not to use the Parliament Act to bypass the Lords if peers block the bill.
Labour MPs Gareth Snell, who supported the previous bill, and Meg Hillier, who opposed it, said allowing the Lords to scrutinise and amend the legislation was necessary. They warned that an override could trigger a constitutional showdown and carry wider consequences for Parliament.
Sarah Champion and Conservative MP Kit Malthouse, both supporters of the previous bill, said the Parliament Act should remain available as a last resort if the Lords repeatedly blocked legislation passed by the elected chamber. They said peers should be able to propose improvements to the new version.
The private member’s bill, revived by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, would allow adults with a terminal illness and less than six months to live to end their lives, subject to approval by an expert panel. An earlier version passed the Commons by 23 votes before being blocked in the Lords after peers tabled numerous amendments.
The Parliament Act can be used to enact legislation without the Lords’ consent, but the bill must meet specific procedural requirements. It must pass again in an identical form in the new parliamentary session before the override mechanism can apply. The measure has been used only a handful of times since its 1949 revision.
The Guardian reported that the dispute comes ahead of a Friday vote. The available material does not provide the outcome.
