Origin: Lauren Edwards introduces assisted dying bill

Lauren Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, began a new push to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, saying she will bring back the exact bill MPs passed last year that ran out of time in the Lords in April. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow adults over 18 expected to die within six months to receive help to end their lives, with safeguards.

Reintroducing the same text sets up the use of the Parliament Act if MPs pass it again this session. That power, used only seven times in the last century, would stop peers blocking the bill a second time. The Lords could still propose changes for the Commons to accept, but if they do not pass the bill before the end of the next session, the unamended Commons bill could become law without their approval.

Edwards said she wants peers to refine the legislation and is open to amendments. Crossbench peer Lord Carlile said the draft is not robust but that he and others are willing to work with her. Labour MP Ashley Dalton opposed the move, arguing it would hand sweeping, unchecked powers over life and death and the NHS to future governments.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources