Assisted dying bill runs out of time in House of Lords

Betty Zapata/PA Media

By PA Media and Emma Wilkinson

Proposed legislation to enable assisted dying in England and Wales has run out of time after stalling in the House of Lords.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill introduced by Labour's Kim Leadbeater MP passed its first vote in the House of Commons 17 months ago but fell on Friday (24th April) with peers in the House of Lords speaking passionately on both sides of the argument.

More than 1,200 amendments had been tabled in the House of Lords with not enough time to debate them before the end of the current session of Parliament.

Its sponsor in the House of Lords, Labour's Lord Charlie Falconer said he felt “despondent” that a piece of legislation which he said was “so important to so many, has not failed on its merits, but failed as a result of procedural wrangling”.

He said supporters of the bill felt let down and that peers have “not treated them properly” while many terminally ill people and their relatives “who have shown such courage and forbearance” have been “utterly bewildered by the way we have behaved”.