Supporters of the assisted dying bill are preparing to use the 1911 Parliament Act to force the legislation through the House of Lords, in what some backers describe as a 'nuclear option'. The move would be the first time the archaic procedure has been invoked for a private member's bill.
The bill's sponsors, MP Kim Leadbeater and Lord Charles Falconer, have received legal advice confirming they can reintroduce the unamended bill in the next parliamentary session if peers continue to block it. Without such action, the bill will automatically fall when the session ends in May, despite having passed the Commons.
Lord Falconer said the public and Commons demanded a proper decision. 'If opponents think this issue will just go away if it is talked out in the Lords then they are wrong,' he told the Guardian. He urged the Lords to allow a vote but acknowledged that 'a small minority of peers' could frustrate the majority.
The Parliament Act, revised in 1949, has been used only a handful of times, including for decriminalising homosexuality and banning foxhunting. To invoke it, the bill must be reintroduced and passed again in the new session, either through a private member's bill ballot or government time.
Peers begin their tenth day of debate on Friday, with hundreds of amendments still outstanding. Analysis by the Hansard Society suggests the bill needs at least 16 more sitting days to complete committee stage, but has fewer than eight available.
