Assisted Suicide Bill Passes in Major House of Commons Vote

Several MPs who opposed the bill argued during the debate that the proposed legislation was rushed and it remains unsafe.

Dignity in Dying campaigners gather in support of the assisted suicide bill in Westminster, central London, on June 20, 2025. Lucy North/PA Wire

MPs have voted by a narrow majority of 23 in favour of legalising assisted suicide in England and Wales.

The House of Commons approved the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at Third Reading on Friday, with 314 MPs backing it and 291 opposing.

This means that the bill has cleared the lower House and will proceed to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can gain Royal Assent and become law.

The Private Member’s Bill (PMB) would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the right to apply for a medic-assisted death, subject to assessment from two doctors and a panel comprising of a senior legal figure, social worker, and psychiatrist.

If the application is granted, a doctor would give the person a substance which they would administer to themselves.

The bill was sponsored by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who said that the passing at Third Reading was the “result that so many people need.”

The MP for Spen Valley said after the vote, “When you’ve spent as much time as I have with people who have got experience of losing loved ones in very difficult circumstances, and you’ve spent time with terminally ill people, who are just asking for choice at the end of their days, then this is absolutely the right thing to do.”

Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years.

Narrower Margin

The bill passed by a narrower margin than when first voted on in November 2024, when 330 voted in favour and 275 against—a majority of 55.

Several MPs who opposed the bill argued during the debate on June 2o that it was rushed through the Commons and, despite attempts to strengthen it with additional safeguards, remains unsafe.

Campaigners opposing the assisted suicide bill demonstrate at Parliament Square, Westminster, central London, on June 20, 2025. Lucy North/PA Wire

Labour MP Diane Abbott was among those who back assisted suicide in principle, but are against this legislation, calling it “poorly drafted.”

Abbott, who holds the title of mother of the House as the longest serving female MP in Parliament, called on her colleagues to vote against the bill, “because there is no doubt that if this bill is passed in its current form, people will lose their lives who do not need to, and they will be amongst the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society.”

Huge Shift in Power of State

Former Conservative minister Tom Tugendhat, who is also against the bill, said this proposed law would fundamentally change the dynamic between people and the state.

He said: “When the state takes a life, even with consent, that is a huge shift in the relationship between the individual and the state. It is a transformation in the way in which power lies, and we should be fully conscious what it is that is being done.”

Leadbeater said her bill was passed with “a convincing majority,” and “the will of the House will now be respected by the Lords, and the Bill will go through to its next stage.”

Next Steps

The bill will now go to the House of Lords to go through the same process of scrutiny as in the Commons, before it goes back to the lower House, likely with amendments.

While generally both houses must agree on the exact wording of a bill in order for it to become law, the House of Lords cannot stop a bill from becoming law owing to limits on its powers.

However, the assisted suicide bill is a PMB—not a government bill—so it also has limitations. One enemy of Leadbeater’s bill could be time.

Any bill that has not received Royal Assent by the end of a session “falls.” But if it is a government bill, a minister can table a “carry-over motion” to the next session. PMBs cannot be carried over.

There is no fixed length for a session, but they generally last a year.

Screen grab of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater makes a statement on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Commons, London, on June 20, 2025. House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire

The unelected upper House can delay legislation by pushing for certain revisions, resulting in both Houses of Parliament sending the bill back and forth in what is known as “parliamentary ping-pong” until both chambers agree on the wording, which will take up more parliamentary time.

Leadbeater told the PA news agency she would be “upset to think that anybody was playing games” with her bill in the Lords.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament’s Central Lobby and asked whether it will become law this session, Leadbeater said, “We don’t know when the session will end.”

She added, “The government’s got a lot of bills to get through, so that will take some time, so I’m not imagining that’s going to be imminently, but it could be before the end of the year.”

PA Media contributed to this report.