MPs Reject Assisted Dying Bill, Ending Latest Bid to Change the Law

Members of Parliament have voted down proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, drawing to a close the most sustained parliamentary effort in a decade to change the law in this area.

Following a lengthy and often emotional debate in the House of Commons, MPs rejected the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 286 votes to 270 — a majority of 16 against the legislation. The result marks a reversal of the Commons’ earlier position: when the bill first came before MPs in June 2025, it was backed by a majority of 23.

The bill, brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, would have allowed terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to apply for medically assisted death, subject to a series of safeguards including sign-off from two doctors and an independent panel.

Having cleared the Commons at its earlier stage, the bill passed to the House of Lords for scrutiny. There it encountered an unprecedented volume of proposed amendments from peers, and ultimately ran out of parliamentary time before the end of the session. When the legislation returned to the Commons for a final decision, MPs voted to reject it outright, bringing this attempt to reform the law to a definitive end — at least for the current parliamentary session.

As with the earlier vote, MPs were given a free vote, meaning they were not instructed to follow party lines and were free to vote according to conscience.

Alisdair Hungerford-Morgan, Chief Executive of Right To Life UK, a charity that opposes the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia, and campaigns instead for greater investment in palliative care, said:

“This is a remarkable victory for the most vulnerable in our society. They deserve protection and care, not a pathway to suicide.”

“After a two-year-long national debate, the country has decided to reject assisted suicide, settling the issue for a generation.”

“Evidence from overseas shows that, had this legislation become law, countless vulnerable people nearing the end of life would have been pressured or coerced into ending their lives”.

“MPs’ decision follows that of the Scottish Parliament earlier this year, which also decisively rejected assisted suicide in a landmark vote.”

“In both Westminster and Holyrood, parliamentary scrutiny and expert testimony have shown that assisted suicide simply cannot be legalised in a safe way that protects vulnerable people. As is tragically evident elsewhere, many vulnerable people die under assisted suicide and euthanasia laws.”

“But as this debate ends, the real fight has only just begun.”

“It is vital that MPs now unite to give full attention to fixing the fundamental issues with health and end-of-life care provision, focusing on the goal of delivering universal access to high-quality palliative care, ensuring true dignity and care for all at the end of life.”

“The postcode lottery for outstanding palliative care has gone on for too long. We must now all come together to address the challenge of providing excellent palliative care to everyone who needs it, when they need it, and wherever they live. People nearing the end of their lives deserve the best support and care, and we can and must do better.”

Speaking on the day of the debate Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK said: “I am sure that today’s [September 11]debate will again see MPs both for and against this Bill agree that palliative care must be improved, including fixing hospice funding.

“But the reality is that over the nearly two years since this Bill was first debated by MPs, the opposite has happened. Nationwide, hospice services are shrinking, beds are closing and community hospice visits are falling. It’s now harder than ever before for people to get the end of the life care they need. At a time when demand for hospice care is rising, patients face dying in a hospital bed, or worse still on a corridor in avoidable pain and distress.

“Hospice UK considers it unsanctionable that someone might even consider an assisted death in the future because they fear they won’t get the pain relief or other care they and their loved ones need at the end of their lives.

“Real choice at the end of life means that everyone can access high quality and compassionate care to support a peaceful and dignified death.”