Lords urged to scrutinise rather than block assisted dying bill

Peers in the House of Lords were urged to scrutinise rather than try to block a bill to allow assisted dying after MPs approved the Terminally Ill Adults Bill by a majority of 23.

The legislation has been passed in principle by the House of Commons and is now being examined in the Lords during two days of consideration. Supporters and opponents gathered outside Parliament as the bill moved through the next stage of scrutiny, and a record number of peers sought to speak as the debate opened.

Lord Charlie Falconer, the former justice secretary who is sponsoring the bill in the Lords, described the current legal situation as "confused", saying it causes "terrible suffering" and lacks "compassion and safeguards". He told colleagues there would be "more than enough time" for careful scrutiny before the current parliamentary session ends next spring and said he was "very open" to suggestions to strengthen and improve the legislation. "We must do our job in this House, and our job is not to frustrate, it is to scrutinise," he said, urging peers to "respect the primacy of the Commons" because the bill has already been approved by MPs.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill in the Commons, watched the proceedings from the gallery. The red benches in the Lords were packed as the two-day examination began, reflecting the high level of interest and the sensitivity of the issue.

Supporters of assisted dying argue the bill would provide a legal, regulated route for terminally ill adults to choose the timing and manner of their death, with safeguards intended to prevent abuse. Opponents warn that safeguards may not be sufficient and that legalising assisted dying could put pressure on vulnerable people.

Conservative peer Lord Forsyth of Drumlean said he had changed his view after the experience of his father, who "died in agony" from cancer and had told his son that he had been denied the opportunity to end his suffering. "I was completely poleaxed by that," Lord Forsyth said, adding that his father had told him he had consistently voted to prevent him from having the choice over how and when to die.

Former prime minister Theresa May, who spoke in opposition, said she did not believe the bill contained strong enough safeguards to prevent people from being pressured into ending their lives. Baroness May of Maidenhead also expressed concern about the potential impact on people with disabilities, chronic illness and mental health problems, saying there was a risk that legalising assisted dying could reinforce the notion that "some lives are less worth living than others" and that, as in other countries, pressure could grow to extend the law's scope.

Peers will now use the two days of consideration to debate, question and potentially propose amendments to the bill. Any changes would be considered before the legislation returns to the Commons, and the Lords' deliberations will shape whether and how the measure proceeds towards becoming law in England and Wales.