UK lawmakers to make fresh attempt to legalize assisted dying as public support for move rises

British lawmakers are making a fresh attempt to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill patients, six months after a previous bill failed in the House of Lords. Labour MP Lauren Edwards is reintroducing the legislation as a Private Member's Bill, with the government remaining neutral. The bill would allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live to end their lives with medical help, subject to approval from a panel of professionals. Public support remains high, with a recent Ipsos poll showing two in three Britons back the principle.

British lawmakers are making a fresh attempt to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill patients, six months after a previous bill failed in the House of Lords. Labour MP Lauren Edwards is reintroducing the legislation as a Private Member's Bill, a mechanism that allows an individual lawmaker to try to pass a law independently of the government. The government remains neutral, meaning politicians can vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines. In 2025, the legislation passed in the House of Commons by 314 votes to 291. The proposed bill would give mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or fewer to live the right to end their lives with medical help, after approval from a panel of professionals. Concerns over protecting vulnerable ill people from coercion derailed the last attempt. Edwards wrote in the Guardian that the reform is "the most pressing, progressive reform" of this parliament. A recent Ipsos poll showed two in three Britons support legalization in principle, though some backing hinges on additional funding for palliative care. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will not vote on Friday, having previously argued the debate should wait until palliative and adult social care systems are fixed.