The assisted dying bill has failed - but this is how it could still become law

The assisted dying bill officially runs out of road today.

Peers will have their 16th day and final debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

And after that, it's over - at least for now.

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The bill would give people over 18 who are terminally ill, and in the final six months of their life, the ability to request assistance from a doctor to die.

MPs passed the bill back in June 2025 - but it's taken so long to go through the Lords that it's now run out of time.

So how did we end up here - and where could it go next?

Why assisted dying failed

The bill is a private members' bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater after she came top in a ballot of backbench MPs wanting to introduce their own draft laws.

MPs backed the bill in November 2024 by a margin of 55 votes, which dropped to 23 by the time of its final Commons vote last June.

In the Commons, critics accused Ms Leadbeater of not listening to their concerns. They also claimed the key change made to the bill - replacing the need for a High Court judge to sign off an assisted death application with a panel of a senior lawyer, a psychiatrist, and a social worker - made it less rigorous.

But Ms Leadbeater argued three panellists would have more expertise than a single judge, making the process safer - as well as the crisis in the courts system meaning there wouldn't be capacity to consider assisted dying applications.

The bill then went to the Lords, which began debating it last September. Progress has been slow. Unlike the Commons, the Lords is self-regulating, which means it can take as long as it wants to consider legislation.

Supporters accuse a handful of peers of talking for so long that time runs out. But critical peers fiercely deny they are purposefully obstructing the bill, and insist they are simply trying to improve what they think is a poorly designed piece of legislation.

The bill has to pass by the time the parliamentary session ends next week. It can't be carried over to the next session.

Lords are stuck on the third of five stages - and the bill would have to go back to the Commons to agree any changes.

It's been clear for a while that the bill wasn't going to make it in time - both sides accepted that in March.

A letter from almost 200 peers to MPs seen by Sky News has called it "a failure of the [Lords] to fulfil its constitutional function", adding that "it is now for the elected chamber to decide what should happen next".

But a different letter from over 60 opposing peers, also seen by Sky News, says the bill has failed because of "the refusal by its supporters to engage reasonably on the substance".

How assisted dying could be brought back

Campaigners might have failed to pass an assisted dying law this session, but they aren't planning to give up.

As Sky News has previously reported, supporters are planning to enlist some 200 MPs to attempt to bring the bill back into contention this summer.

The next private members' bill ballot is due to be held on 21 May. Supporters think they have 200 MPs who would be willing to reintroduce the bill if one of them is successful in the ballot.

They then plan to try and get it through the Commons quickly - potentially even by packing the committee with supporters, on the grounds that MPs have already scrutinised it.

And if they can't get it through using the ballot, supporters will seek to persuade the government to give it time to protect the authority of the democratically-elected Commons over the unelected Lords.

"This is not over," Ms Leadbeater said. "The issue is not going to go away just because of an undemocratic filibuster in the Lords. We will keep pushing for a safer, more compassionate law until parliament reaches a final decision."

If it passes the Commons, the bill would then head back to the Lords.

If it once again fails to pass the upper chamber in time, supporters think they can use a piece of procedure called the Parliament Act to get it through, regardless of whether peers back it.

That says the same bill, twice passed by MPs but rejected by peers in two consecutive sessions, becomes law anyway.

It's rarely used, only twice this century. Never before has it been used for a private members' bill - although officials have confirmed it could, in theory. But it would mean that no further changes could be made to the bill.

What will the opponents do?

Just like the bill's supporters, its critics aren't planning to give up their opposition either.

Sky News understands opponents don't believe it's inevitable the bill will become law in the next parliamentary session.

"This is a bad law and its sponsors have repeatedly refused to improve it," said Labour MP Meg Hillier, who opposes the bill. "After months of debate, it still lacks the necessary protections and safeguards for vulnerable and disabled people that the public demands."

Opponents say MPs, asked to vote for a bill they say is dangerous and can't be amended, might think again.

They continue to highlight opposition, including how all the professional medical colleges are against the bill - despite some of them not being against the principle of assisted dying.

Also on their list is claims the bill has become a distraction, and how assisted dying isn't a priority for the public. A recent poll by JL Partners found that 94% of respondents didn't list assisted dying as one of their priorities.

Critics also say supporters are using underhand tactics - packing the committee with supporters, threatening to force the bill through. Supporters, on the other hand, say critics have been unreasonable by blocking the bill.

This incarnation of the bill may be officially over today. But don't expect the war of words to die down any time soon.

(c) Sky News 2026: The assisted dying bill has failed - but this is how it could still become law