MPs have voted against a renewed attempt to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to change the law to an end.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, was defeated at its Second Reading in the House of Commons by 286 votes to 270. The result means the Bill will make no further progress in this parliamentary session.
The proposed law would have allowed terminally ill adults who are reasonably expected to have six months or less to live to request assistance to end their own lives, subject to a series of safeguards and assessments.
A conscience vote for MPs
The Government remained neutral on the principle of assisted dying, with MPs given a free vote according to their individual judgment and conscience.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham did not take part in Friday’s division, having indicated that he would abstain rather than risk using the authority of his office to influence MPs on an issue involving profound ethical and personal questions.
The debate saw strongly held arguments on both sides.
Supporters said terminally ill people facing unbearable suffering should be given greater choice and control over the end of their lives, backed by strict safeguards.
Opponents warned about the potential risks to vulnerable, disabled and elderly people, and argued that improvements to palliative and social care should come before any fundamental change to the law.
Bill returns after previous attempt stalled
The legislation revived the assisted dying proposals debated during the previous parliamentary session.
An earlier Bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, passed its Commons Third Reading in June 2025 by 314 votes to 291, but failed to complete its passage through the House of Lords before the end of the parliamentary session and therefore fell.
Edwards subsequently secured a high place in the Private Members’ Bill ballot and introduced the new Bill in July, arguing that peers should be given the chance to finish their scrutiny.
Friday’s defeat is a sharp reversal of that earlier Commons majority and rules out a change in the law in the short term.
What the law would have done
Under the proposals, eligibility would have been restricted to adults with mental capacity who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and are reasonably expected to die within six months.
The process would have required medical assessments and approval through an expert panel before an assisted death could take place.
The Government has stressed that, although it remains neutral on assisted dying itself, ministers have a responsibility to ensure that any legislation approved by Parliament is workable, effective and enforceable.
Edwards says Parliament ‘dropped the ball’
Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, said after the vote that Parliament had “dropped the ball”.
“It will be picked up again as it must be, because the law as it stands is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand.”
She said the result was particularly disappointing for terminally ill people and their families who had been given hope when the Commons backed the previous Bill last year.
Debate far from over
Friday’s vote does not change the existing law. Assisted dying remains illegal in England and Wales.
MPs and peers could make another attempt in a future parliamentary session, but the legislation will not now proceed to committee, Report Stage or the House of Lords.
The issue remains one of the most significant conscience questions to come before Parliament in a generation, and Friday’s narrow majority underlines how finely balanced opinion remains on both sides of the argument.
For now, MPs have decided that the proposal should not continue its journey through Parliament — leaving the final shape of any future legislation, and whether it ultimately becomes law, still to be determined.
