‘Hope has been restored’ for assisted dying bill as MP brings it back | Politics | News
Campaigners have been given fresh hope the law could still pass (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
“Hope has been restored” in the fight to legalise assisted dying, Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter has said. Rebecca Wilcox told of her family’s joy — shared by campaigners across the country — after Labour MP Lauren Edwards announced she will bring the bill back to Parliament. The broadcaster, 46, said: “I am absolutely delighted by this news, as is mum and our whole family.
“We will be backing Lauren every step of the way, just as we’ve backed Kim and MPs of all parties who remain committed to finishing what they started on assisted dying.” The first Terminally Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, ran out of time after a small group of peers filibustered to run down the clock. The Lords will not be able to block it again if the House of Commons backs the legislation a second time.
Rebecca added: “Almost a year ago, I stood on Parliament Square with people from all walks of life; some with only months left to live, others living with horrific stories of loss. When we heard that MPs had voted to pass the assisted dying bill, the hope and relief were overwhelming.
“After the democratic vandalism we saw from a handful of unelected Lords who tried to block the Bill by any means necessary, today, our hope has been restored.
“This isn’t only about the right to choose how we die. It’s about our democratic values as a country. The Bill is coming back, and this time MPs must have their final say.”
Ms Edwards adopted the legislation after being drawn first in the private member’s bill ballot, which allows backbench MPs to propose new laws. The MP for Rochester and Strood in Kent, said: “Ultimately I just couldn’t live with myself if I had not taken the opportunity to do this, something that I believe in.
“Not only from the principle [of assisted dying] but also the democratic point of principle. The will of the elected chamber should be respected.”
Ms Edwards, 42, was born in Victoria — the first Australian state to legalise assisted dying in 2019 — and moved to the UK in 2005. Similar laws are now in place across the majority of the country.
She told the Express she researched the topic and considered her view in the run-up to the 2024 election, when she won her seat with a majority of 2,930. Ms Edwards said: “I’ve always been pro-choice and a feminist, so the principle of giving people choice and autonomy over their bodies is quite important to me.
“Even some religious people have that approach. My mum is a Christian, and she wouldn’t want it for herself, but she wants other people to have that choice.
“As a politician, I’m always testing my views on things, testing the evidence. I’ve never found anything in any of the debates, here and internationally, that has suggested I should be voting any other way.”
The MP was a strong supporter of Ms Leadbeater’s bill. In a statement after third reading, she wrote that it was “one of the most important, compassionate, and empowering changes to healthcare we’ve seen in a generation”.
After seeing the legislation thwarted in the House of Lords, Ms Edwards told constituents she was unhappy and wanted to bring it back.
Then came the private member’s bill ballot. She told the Express: “It’s quite different when you get your name read out and realise that you’ve come second and you are indeed the top assisted dying [supporter].
Lauren Edwards MP is bringing the bill back for a second chance in Parliament (Image: © Nigel Howard / NIGEL HOWARD MEDIA)
“It’s a huge privilege to have the opportunity to continue Kim’s amazing work, and the work of both chambers. But it is also a huge responsibility and it was obviously very, very daunting.”
Ms Edwards lives with her partner and their cat Whitlam — named after the former Australian Labour prime minister Gough Whitlam. She was on a Zoom call discussing local government matters when the ballot was drawn. Her inbox quickly flooded with emails.
She said: “I went downstairs to speak to my partner and said: ‘You won’t believe what’s just happened.’ He said” ‘Actually, I can, because your phone hasn’t stopped ringing for the last 20 minutes.’”
In the following days, Ms Edwards considered whether there was a clear parliamentary route for the bill. She also contemplated the impact it would have on her life and those around her.
Ms Edwards said: “It’s not a particularly pleasant atmosphere, particularly online, in terms of how the debate’s conducted. You just need to prepare yourself and [think about] what it means for you, your team and your family.”
Local residents and protesters from disability groups turned up outside her office before she had announced her intention. Urging her to “focus on core issues”, they claimed the bill puts disabled lives at risk.
Ms Edwards has now reviewed security measures for herself and her team. She said people have the right to protest, but added: “It was probably not the ideal way to try to influence me because that’s predominantly where my staff work. I don’t want them feeling that their safety is in any way threatened, so obviously I have taken appropriate steps.”
The MP also spoke with Ms Leadbeater while considering her decision. She said: “We’ve had conversations about how resilient you need to be. I certainly go into this with my eyes open.
“If I can get the legislation through then whatever happens over the next year, in terms of the debate and some of the nastiness that is out there, will all be worth it.
“This is about allowing this legislation to go through its proper processes and not have the conversation interrupted, because we can’t leave things as they are.
“It’s not only for the people who will be affected by it, it’s also about what it says about our political system. Already a lot of people are losing trust in our system and quite rightly say: ‘How can this be allowed to happen?’”
Ms Edwards admitted taking on the landmark bill is ‘very daunting’ (Image: © Nigel Howard / NIGEL HOWARD MEDIA)
What happens next?
Lauren Edwards’ bill will be formally presented for a first reading in Parliament on Wednesday. It will then progress through the usual stages, with a second reading and debate among MPs expected in September.
Some parts of the process, including committee stage, will likely be accelerated as they were completed already last year.
If MPs vote in favour of the bill at second and third reading, it will be passed to the House of Lords again. They will once more have the opportunity to debate, suggest amendments and vote on the bill.
Usually, a bill has to be approved by both Houses before it can become law. The Parliament Act ensures that elected politicians have the final say when the chambers cannot agree.
It will only apply if peers try to block the bill by filibustering or voting it down. If that happens, the bill can become law without the Lords’ approval.
Asked whether MPs will back the bill again, Ms Edwards was cautiously optimistic. She said: “That’s something we will have to test over the coming months. I don’t get a sense from talking to people that the mood has shifted.
“I think it retains the majority support in the House of Commons, and I would hope and expect that it would be a similar picture in the House of Lords because that is what it is out in the country. In my constituency, there’s polling showing 74-75% of people support assisted dying. That’s not an outlier.”
The bill is expected to face a second reading in the Commons in September. A large part of Ms Edwards’ job in the coming months will be countering misinformation spread by opponents — such as claims that the bill was “rejected” by the House of Lords and will be “rammed through” under the Parliament Act.
She said: “The idea that it has been rejected by the Lords, I’m afraid, is a complete falsehood. What happened is it was talked out by a very small number of peers, and what I’m trying to do is give the opportunity for that process to restart, for those discussions in the House of Lords to continue.”
If the bill passes the Commons again, the Parliament Act will only come into play if the peers try to block the bill again. Ms Edwards added: “I don’t want any of those powers to be used in this case. My intention in bringing the bill back is to give peers the opportunity to refine, scrutinise the legislation, pick up that process that had to be abandoned in the last session.
“A lot of the peers are saying: ‘We need more time’. Well, I’m giving you the time. I’m going to bring it back, and I’m going to ask the House of Commons to send it back to you to finish the job, so please crack on.”
Ms Edwards also shared a message for assisted dying campaigners who have experienced a rollercoaster of emotions — from hope when the bill cleared the Commons to despair when it fell.
She said: “Keep the faith. We will all try our best to deliver for you. We know that the country supports this change.
“Sometimes when we’re making laws, it is a really rocky road. But there are a lot of people — hundreds in our parliament — who are going to work very hard on a cross-party basis, put our differences aside in other areas, because we want to see this change.”
The Express Give Us Our Last Rights crusade has campaigned for a change in the law on assisted dying since early 2022. Last month we printed a supplement full of readers’ stories and letters, which was sent to every MP.
Ms Edwards said: “For years the Express has given a platform to terminally ill people and grieving families from right across the country and made sure MPs listened.
“Much has been said about parliamentary process, but at its heart this Bill is about people and I am committed to ensuring these voices remain at the centre of this debate.”
Campaigner Elise Burns is living with terminal breast cancer (Image: Getty)
‘Parliament has not given up on dying people’
Lauren Edwards spoke with terminally ill campaigner Elise Burns on Friday. Elise, 52, has incurable breast cancer that has spread to her bones, lungs and liver. She said the MP’s decision to adopt the assisted dying bill “offers hope that Parliament has not given up on dying people”.
Elise added: “Like so many terminally ill people, I know that time is precious. That’s why Lauren Edwards’ decision means so much. It offers hope that Parliament has not given up on dying people.
“The public overwhelmingly believes dying people should have choice, compassion and dignity at the end of life. We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking for the same peace of mind that people in other jurisdictions already have. I am grateful that Lauren is prepared to continue this work and listen to the voices of those most affected.”
Ms Edwards said: “I’ve always listened to both sides. It’s hard not to be impacted by some of those stories, because they are so powerful.
“I was speaking to Elise, and even this week she’s had two operations, she’s on an absolute cocktail of strong painkillers and is still in a lot of pain.
“She is having to have her family see her in situations she doesn’t want them to see, and she’s quite rightly terrified about what her end might look like and the kind of pain that she might be in.”
Ms Edwards praised the courage of campaigners like Elise who have shared their personal stories with the public to show why the law must change.
She added: “Her story is incredibly powerful because she knows that, unfortunately, our legislation wouldn’t be put in place for her to be able to use it, but she wants it for other people.
“The important point is we’re giving people a choice about what they can do within a very robust, narrowly defined set of circumstances. We just need to get on and finish the job.”
