Assisted dying is back on the parliamentary agenda. After the original Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament in April 2026, Lauren Edwards MP subsequently introduced a new Bill on assisted dying on 17 June 2026, which received its First Reading in the House of Commons before the summer recess.
The Bill returned to the parliamentary timetable on 1 September 2026 and is now due to receive its Second Reading on 11 September. It would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales who are reasonably expected to die within six months to request, and lawfully receive, assistance to end their own lives.
Key changes in the reintroduced Bill
The reintroduced Bill broadly reflects its predecessor but includes various changes made before the earlier Bill fell. Two key amendments are made:
Meaning of terminal illness - clause 2(2): The amendment creates an exception to the eligibility criteria. A person would not be considered terminally ill for the purposes of the Act if their condition resulted from limiting or stopping eating or drinking.
Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner - clause 4: The new clause would require the Prime Minister to consult Welsh Ministers before appointing the Voluntary Assisted Dying Commissioner. The person appointed must have previously served as a judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal or High Court. The Commissioner would oversee key aspects of the process, including reviewing documentation, appointing eligible members of the panels, referring cases to those panels, determining applications for reconsideration and monitoring how the Act operates.
Government position
The Government remains neutral on assisted dying but is responsible for ensuring that any legislation approved by Parliament is workable, effective and enforceable.
To support parliamentary scrutiny, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice have independently assessed the Bill’s potential impacts. These assessments do not express the Government's policy position on assisted dying.
Expert group raises concerns about the Bill
The Complex Life and Death Decisions group (Professor Gareth Owen, Professor Alex Ruck Keene KC and Professor Katherine Sleeman) has published a September briefing explaining why it considers the Bill to be “not good law” and proposing a way forward for Parliament in September 2026. You can read the briefing here.
The Bill includes issues on capacity, consent, safeguarding and access to end-of-life care that could become significant for health and social care providers.
We will keep readers updated.
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