Key facts
- MPs Gareth Snell and Meg Hillier have urged colleagues not to use the Parliament Act to force through the assisted dying bill.
- The MPs warned that using the Parliament Act could lead to a "constitutional showdown".
Members of Parliament are urging caution regarding the assisted dying bill, warning against using the Parliament Act to bypass the House of Lords. Two Labour MPs highlighted the "extraordinary risk" and potential "constitutional showdown" if the bill is forced through without further amendments.
The debate highlights a significant tension between the elected House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords, with potential implications for parliamentary procedure and the legislative process on sensitive social issues.
MPs on both sides of the assisted dying debate have cautioned against using an obscure parliamentary procedure to force the bill through the House of Commons, warning of significant constitutional risks. Labour MPs Gareth Snell and Meg Hillier, who have previously voted on opposite sides of the issue, penned a letter to colleagues ahead of a crucial vote on Friday. They argued that invoking the 1911 Parliament Act to bypass the House of Lords, which previously blocked the bill through extensive amendments, would be an "extraordinary risk" and could trigger a "constitutional showdown".
The private member's bill, originally sponsored by Kim Leadbeater and revived by Lauren Edwards, aims to allow adults with a terminal illness and a prognosis of less than six months to live to end their lives with expert approval. It passed the House of Commons last year by a majority of 23. However, it fell in the House of Lords after opponents submitted over 1,000 amendments, preventing a vote before the parliamentary session ended. Snell and Hillier stated that using the Parliament Act would preclude any "practical or worthwhile amendments" from being added, despite concerns raised by medical professionals and other bodies. They emphasized that while they support a conversation on the issue, forcing the bill through without further consideration would have far-reaching consequences.
The Parliament Act, revised in 1949, has been used sparingly to enact laws without the Lords' consent, including measures to decriminalize homosexuality and ban foxhunting. For the act's override mechanism to be triggered, a bill must be reintroduced and passed in the exact same form in a new parliamentary session.