The assisted dying Bill is set to return to Parliament on Wednesday, June 17, with the first vote on the legislation expected in September. This development comes as the Daily Express continues its campaign for a legal framework granting dying individuals autonomy over their final weeks.
Bill Reintroduction
Lauren Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, has confirmed she will bring back an identical Bill to the one passed by the Commons last year. The previous Bill ran out of time after stalling in the House of Lords, despite MPs supporting proposals allowing some terminally ill adults the right to seek help to end their lives.
Campaign Context
The Express's campaign, Give Us Our Last Rights, launched in 2022, calls for the government to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults in the UK. The campaign has influenced legislative debate and lobbied for compassionate legal change.
MP's Statement
Ms Edwards has urged peers in the House of Lords to 'finish the job'. She has agreed to use her private members' Bill to bring the issue before MPs again. The return of the Bill would allow supporters to use the Parliament Acts to bypass the Lords if it were blocked again.
Ms Edwards told the BBC: 'Laws passed in the House of Commons are then refined by the House of Lords, but they don't have the opportunity to block them. It's perfectly reasonable for us to ask the House of Lords to finish the job.'
Proposed Law Details
The proposed law, known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, grants terminally ill people over 18, expected to die within six months, the right to help end their own lives. However, their case must be approved by a panel of experts.
Ms Edwards said: 'We owe it to all those terminally ill people and their families who are depending on this bill to ensure that parliament can come to a final decision on the question of choice at the end of life. And I believe it undermines public trust in our democracy more widely if we cannot deliver on a measure that is supported by a very large majority of voters in all parts of the country.'
Previous Attempt
The previous attempt to legalise assisted dying was narrowly passed by MPs in June 2025. Despite the government holding an officially neutral stance, the then health secretary Wes Streeting opposed it.
Ms Edwards continued: 'Should mentally competent terminally ill adults at the very end of their lives be offered the choice of a dignified, pain-free death with all the protections and safeguards the bill provides? An overwhelming majority of our constituents believe that they should. The House of Commons decided that they should. I believe as strongly as ever that we cannot and must not let them down a second time. Now is the opportunity for parliament to fulfil the trust the public have put in us to correct a glaring injustice and pass this compassionate, safe and long overdue reform.'
