Labour MP launches new bid to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales

A new attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has been launched by Labour MP Lauren Edwards.

Edwards, who represents Rochester and Strood, told the BBC she would introduce the identical Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that passed the Commons last year.

That bill, brought by Kim Leadbeater, failed to clear the House of Lords in April after peers tabled an unusually large number of amendments and time ran out.

The measure would allow adults over 18 who are expected to die within six months to receive help to end their own life, subject to safeguards.

By reintroducing the same bill, Edwards is threatening to invoke the Parliament Act, which lets the Commons override the Lords if an identical bill passes in two consecutive sessions.

The act has been used only seven times in the past century. Peers could still propose amendments, but if they do not pass the bill before the end of the next session, the unamended version could become law.

Opponents have warned that using the Parliament Act would risk enacting a law despite major concerns raised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, disability charities and hospices.

Edwards said she was "playing by the rules" and expected the Lords to do the same. She added that voters elected Labour to cut living costs and fix the NHS, and that supporters of the bill had refused to address its flaws after more than a year of debate.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer voted for the bill and promised Dame Esther Rantzen before the election that he would give it parliamentary time.

Andy Burnham, who abstained on a similar bill in 2015, told BBC Radio Manchester last year that family experience had changed his view and he would "probably vote in favour" of the principle. He added that hospices should be properly funded before any law change takes effect.