from Right to Life
The revived Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill, introduced to Parliament today by Lauren Edwards MP, appears to be on course to be defeated at Second Reading on Friday 11 September, prompting calls for Edwards to avoid an unnecessary Labour civil war over the Bill and withdraw the divisive Bill before September’s scheduled vote.
Given only 12 MPs would need to change their minds for the Bill to be defeated, and any new vote would likely become a referendum on the use of the Parliament Acts as well as on the flawed Bill itself, this strongly suggests that the Bill is on track to be defeated.
The Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 provide a rarely-used method of forcing through legislation that has been agreed by the House of Commons without the consent of the House of Lords. Only seven Bills have ever become law under the Parliament Acts, and they have never been used for a Private Members’ Bill – that is, a non-Government Bill – like the assisted suicide Bill. In practice, for the Parliament Acts to be used, it would likely require the Government to adopt the assisted suicide Bill as a Government Bill or to provide time for its passage.
The likely defeat of the Bill has also been predicted by the co-sponsor of the Bill, Peter Bedford, who told a constituent only three weeks ago that he “does not think it will succeed if brought back as a Private Members’ Bill again during this parliamentary session”.
The Times newspaper’s lead article today, 17 June, similarly described hopes of success for a new Bill as “highly unlikely” and “delusional”, describing the Bill as “shoddy” and “riddled with defects”.
Since MPs last debated the Bill, it has been widely criticised by expert groups at a House of Lords select committee, and Scotland has decisively rejected assisted suicide.