Could the House of Lords kill the assisted dying bill?

The assisted dying bill should be a showcase for parliament at its very best: politicians and experts working across party boundaries to make a real difference to people. But such is the depth of feeling about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that arguments have become concerned with procedure as well

- SEAN O'GRADY

As principle, and there is now a chance the bill will end up failing simply because it runs out of parliamentary time.

It has already been subject to exceptional scrutiny in the House of Lords, and the process is far from over. As a private member's bill, it is more vulnerable to running out of time compared to a government bill that would have the full weight of the Labour whips behind it.

Where are we on assisted dying?

The bill has just had another debate at the committee stage in the Lords, including a lengthy discussion about whether people know their GPs personally these days. More such discussions of detail are being demanded. More than 1,000 amendments to the bill that were passed by the House of Commons have been tabled in the Lords, which is something the bill's main sponsor, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, feels is excessive and may amount to “sabotage”.