Assisted dying could be delayed until 2029

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the private member’s bill brought forward by MP Kim Leadbeater to legalise assisted dying, could be delayed until 2029 following concerns it is ‘unworkable.’

Spen Valley MP Leadbeater has championed the cause, introducing the bill in October 2024. But the timelines for its introduction could now be delayed after she agreed to postpone the implementation of the legislation until after the next election.

The progress of the bill has been fraught with difficulty; such is the incendiary nature of the debate. Despite MPs lending their support to the bill in a vote in November 2024, the split of 330 in favour and 275 against left the chamber hugely divided. In the months since, the bill has been scrutinised by a Assisted Dying Bill Committee who have sought expert advice on any proposed amendments.

Psychiatrists giving evidence to the committee warned legislating on assisted dying would ‘undermine the daily efforts of psychiatrists across the UK to prevent suicide’ adding ‘those who have suicidal ideation at any time in life may be vulnerable to pressures to take their own life by the introduction of doctor-assisted suicide.’

In March the committee removed the requirement for a High Court judge to approve assisted dying applications, a key safeguard in many’s view, making the proposed legislation the strictest of its kind. However, concerns were raised by the Ministry of Justice and senior judges about the impact on the courts.

Now, following concerns from the civil service the bill is ‘unworkable’, it is reported Leadbeater has agreed to postpone its introduction until after the next election.

Ms Leadbeater is thought to have climbed down after civil servants responsible for drafting amendments told her the Bill was unworkable. She remains hopeful of returning the bill to Parliament in the coming months and a spokesperson for the MP said 2029 was a ‘backstop’ and she was hopeful of its continued progress.

However, a spokesman for Ms Leadbeater insisted that assisted dying could still happen and said 2029 was a “backstop”.

‘I cannot pretend that I’m not disappointed about extending the commencement period’ Leadbeater is reported to have said after the committee finished its scrutiny of the bill on Wednesday.

MPs for and against have expressed the thoughts on the delay. Speaking to the BBC Tom Gordon, a Liberal Democrat MP in favour of the bill who sits on the committee said

“The current law is failing terminally ill people, forcing them to suffer unbearably, travel abroad to die or risk their families facing police investigations. This amendment would prolong that suffering unnecessarily. Delaying implementation risks pushing it beyond the next election, where it could be abandoned altogether.”

Jess Asato, a Labour MP who is against the bill, said:

“Putting an arbitrary timeline on such a complex issue was never a sensible way to make life or death legislation. This last-minute switch demonstrates again just how chaotic this whole process has been with substantial last-minute changes to core sections of the bill.”