COMMONS TO VOTE ON ASSISTED DYING BILL FOR SECOND TIME

The House of Commons will vote on Friday on legislation to permit assisted dying, marking the bill's second attempt to become law following its rejection by the House of Lords last year. The private member's bill, now sponsored by Labour MP Lauren Edwards after being originally tabled by Kim Leadbeater, passed the Commons previously with a majority of 23. MPs on both sides of the debate have expressed concern about turnout affecting the vote. The bill would allow adults with a terminal prognosis of less than six months to opt to end their lives, with the procedure to take place on the NHS.

The bill was previously blocked in the Lords after peers talked it out following multiple days of debate, with the number of amendments tabled preventing a vote on its provisions. Backers of the legislation have characterised the Lords' rejection as undemocratic, with Edwards writing that the chamber should not be "allowed to frustrate the will of the elected chamber a second time". Several former cabinet ministers have indicated they intend to speak on the bill now they are freer to express their views regarding the Lords' conduct. Opponents have raised concerns about safeguarding and mental health assessments, with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, British Association of Social Workers and Royal College of Physicians all highlighting unanswered questions about the bill's provisions.

Edwards has rejected suggestions that reviving the bill reopens divisions within Labour, stating that MPs have already made their decision and that MPs have a responsibility to reconsider previous positions when new evidence emerges. She cited historical precedent, comparing the assisted dying debate to previous social reforms including women's rights and gay rights legislation, which she noted were initially contested but ultimately accepted.