Despite the Scottish Parliament voting for an assisted dying bill this week, the Telegraph reported maliciously that the UK Bill promoted by Kim Leadbetter was at risk of collapse. The article suggested that some MPs were changing their minds based on anecdotal reports.
The Assisted Dying Bill returns to the Common on this Friday and a large number of amendments have been tabled. This seems to reflect some concerns (mainly imaginary ones in my view) about the protections against being coerced into volunteering for a painless death by those with some mental deficiencies. The large number of amendments might result in the Bill being “talked out” (a “filibuster” in essence by a few extremists opposed to any change).
All of this is hypothetical in my view and it would be most disappointing if this Bill was not progressed. Some MPs do like to sit on the fence when it comes to contentious political issues instead of providing leadership. No new Bill is perfect and there should be room for subsequent changes to tidy up matters after some experience of the practice. In other countries where such Bills are already in place the concerns have turned out to very few.
See the Telegraph article here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/14/assisted-dying-bill-risk-collapse-backers-change-minds/
Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/RogerWLawson )
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