Doubt thrown over assisted dying as law could be delayed until 2029

This would mean that if the bill is passed later this year, it may not come into force until after the next general election, and so, in theory, could be blocked by a new government.

The new timeframe was voted through by a majority as the 23-member scrutiny committee held its last session, which sat into the early hours of yesterday morning.

The move was branded “unreasonable” by campaigners, with terminally ill people saying they need “dignity, not delays”.

While critical MPs said the “last-minute switch demonstrates again just how chaotic this whole process has been with substantial last-minute changes to core sections of the bill”.

Kim Leadbeater’s proposal would see terminally ill people with six months to live be able to seek an assisted death with the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.

The Spen Valley MP said she was proposing the longer timeframe “with some reluctance” and acknowledged the upset felt by campaigners for change.

She suggested the establishment of expert panels to consider assisted dying applications, in place of the High Court approval which was scrapped from the Bill in a significant change earlier this month, had contributed to more time being needed.

“Inevitably this will take longer to implement than simply referring cases to the High Court, an institution that already exists,” she told MPs.

While stating that it is important to “dedicate the necessary time” to implementing safeguards in the Bill, the Labour MP also noted the “upset and disappointment many people will feel as a result of a potentially longer commencement period”.

She insisted the four-year timeframe is “a backstop, it’s not a target” as she pledged to “hold the Government’s feet to the fire” on implementing legislation should the bill pass.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon was the only member of the bill committee to vote against the extended timeframe.

The Lib Dem said: “This delay is both unnecessary and cruel—it forces terminally ill people to endure prolonged suffering, travel abroad to end their lives, or leave their families facing police investigations.

“Other countries have implemented similar laws within months. This proposed four-year delay would make it the longest implementation period for an assisted dying law anywhere in the world—a clear case of kicking the can down the road.

“The Bill has already undergone rigorous scrutiny, with strong safeguards in place to protect the vulnerable and ensure informed choice.

“Delaying its enactment risks pushing it beyond the next election, where it could be abandoned altogether.”

Labour MP Jess Asato, who voted against the bill when it was first put before all MPs in November, said the “last-minute switch demonstrates again just how chaotic this whole process has been with substantial last-minute changes to core sections of the Bill”.

She added: “Putting an arbitrary timeline on such a complex issue was never a sensible way to make life or death legislation.”

The final committee session also saw the approval of the establishment of a voluntary assisted dying commissioner alongside three-member panels featuring social workers, psychiatrists and legal professionals to approve applications from terminally ill adults.

Ms Leadbeater has faced criticism from opponents of assisted dying for scrapping a High Court judge safeguard, which had initially been hailed for making the Bill the strictest in the world.

The Spen Valley MP said: “We are not removing judges from this process. Rather, we are adding the expertise and experience of psychiatrists and social workers to provide extra protections in the areas of assessing mental capacity and detecting coercion while retaining judicial oversight.”

The bill will return to the House of Commons on 25 April.