Assisted dying backers accused of bullying over threat to bypass Lords

"Leadbeater said MPs were angry that a small handful of peers could talk out a bill that had been backed by a majority in the Commons. I think the government should listen to that. I think they've got a duty to listen to that, she said. I worry about the reputation of the House of Lords, who nobody elected. And they should not have the power to try and block something that has been voted for by people who were democratically elected, she said."

"The assisted dying bill is a dangerous piece of draft legislation, as multiple professional bodies including the royal colleges of psychiatry, general practitioners and physicians and even the EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] have all warned, Ward said. Many Labour MPs have been appalled to see comments from peers which suggest that poverty and mental illness should be acceptable reasons for people to have an assisted death. This confounds the fears of ourselves and millions of others across the country."

Backers plan to bypass the House of Lords if peers continue to block an assisted dying bill. The government was urged to give the bill time in the next parliamentary session because peers blocked a measure previously backed by a Commons majority. No 10 refused to commit to additional time while asserting that parliament should be able to have its say. The bill would legalise assisted dying for people with a terminal illness with less than six months to live. Opponents described the bill as dangerous and warned that royal colleges, general practitioners, physicians and the Equality and Human Rights Commission raised concerns. Several MPs were alarmed by peers' comments suggesting poverty and mental illness could justify assisted death.

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