Assisted dying vote delayed to give MPs more time to consider changes

The next vote on legislation to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales has been delayed by three weeks to give MPs on all sides more time to consider its changes, the MP leading the issue has said.

- Aletha Adu

The bill, which has undergone a significant number of amendments since the initial vote in November, will now return to the Commons on 16 May, instead of 25 April, for its report stage and votes if time allows.

In a letter to her parliamentary colleagues the day before Easter recess begins, Kim Leadbeater said she is "absolutely confident" that postponing the vote will not delay the bill's passage towards royal assent.

Labour MPs opposed to the legislation had raised concerns about the timing of the vote, fearing their colleagues would not have enough time to consider the bill's changes during their final week of local election campaigning.

The highly anticipated impact assessment has also been delayed - it was initially planned to be published tomorrow, but will now come next week.