Assisted dying bill to run out of time as Lords hold final debate

Assisted dying bill to run out of time as Lords hold final debate7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRichard WheelerPolitical reporterGetty ImagesDemonstrators on both sides have campaigned in Westminster as the bill has progressed through ParliamentA proposed law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales will run out of time on Friday, almost 17 months after MPs first voted in favour of it.The bill has stalled in the House of Lords after the House of Commons supported allowing terminally ill adults expected to die within six months to seek medical help to end their life, subject to certain safeguards.Supporters and opponents have accepted the bill will not complete all the required stages to become law in the current session of Parliament, with no further debate time allocated beyond Friday.But there is a possibility another attempt is made to introduce the proposals in the next session of Parliament, which will begin on 13 May.Several peers who support the bill have signed a letter to MPs saying the elected chamber should decide what happens next and they believe Parliament "must come to a decision on choice at the end of life as soon as possible".They accused opponents in the Lords of using "delaying tactics" but critics have argued the bill lacks safeguards and the debates in the upper chamber have "exposed further problems".Opponents have also written to MPs in which they accuse the backers of the bill of having "stonewalled or rejected nearly every attempt to amend or improve" it.More than 1,200 amendments were tabled in the Lords, which is believed to be a record high for a bill introduced by a backbencher.The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was supported in principle by MPs on 29 November 2024 by a majority of 55 and cleared the Commons on 20 June last year with a majority of 23.In the Lords, the bill has not cleared all its stages and Friday marks the 14th and final day of committee – which...