Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2026-27

Warning: This briefing discusses issues around suicide which some readers may find distressing.

On 17 June 2026, Lauren Edwards MP (Labour) presented the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2026-27 to the House of Commons, having been drawn second highest in the private members’ bill ballot for the 2026‑27 parliamentary session. The bill’s long title states it would “allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life”. 

The bill’s second reading is scheduled for Friday 11 September 2026. 

Ahead of the bill’s publication, Lauren Edwards said that she would “reintroduce” the earlier Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-26 which was agreed by the House of Commons on 20 June 2025 and introduced in the House of Lords on 23 June 2025. The 2024-26 bill did not complete all its legislative stages in the House of Lords by the end of the 2024-26 session, meaning that it fell and did not become law. 

Further details of the 2024-26 bill can be found in the Commons and Lords Library briefings, see Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bills.

Terminology

There is no consensus on which terminology to use when debating whether people should be legally permitted to seek and be given assistance with ending their own lives. Consequently, a range of terms are used, principally ‘assisted suicide’ and ‘assisted dying’, and the choice of term often reflects underlying views on the debate.

This Library briefing paper uses a range of terms, which have been chosen to reflect the wording of the bill (and the explanatory notes), the existing criminal law, and the terminology used by people and organisations who have commented on the debate. The choice of terminology is not intended to endorse or reflect any stance on the debate about changing the law.

The existing criminal law

Suicide and attempted suicide are not in themselves criminal offences. However, under section 2(1) of the Suicide Act 1961 it is an offence (in England and Wales) for a person to intentionally encourage or assist the suicide (or attempted suicide) of another.

Someone can be prosecuted for an offence under section 2(1) only with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

When deciding whether to start or continue a prosecution under section 2(1), prosecutors should consider both the Code for Crown Prosecutors and an offence-specific prosecution policy issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions. These require prosecutors to consider whether there is sufficient evidence against the defendant and whether it is in the public interest to prosecute.

The bill

The broad aim of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is to allow adults aged 18 and over, who have mental capacity, are terminally ill and are in the final six months of their life, to request assistance from a doctor to end their life. The applicant must be resident, and registered with a GP, in either England or Wales.

Two doctors must assess each request, at least seven days apart, to ensure that the person meets the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria include that the person has a “clear, settled and informed wish to end their own life” and that they have reached this decision voluntarily, without coercion or pressure. If both doctors state, independently of one another, that the eligibility criteria have been met, the case would be referred to a multidisciplinary Assisted Dying Review Panel.

The panel would assess the application according to eligibility criteria and requirements set out in the bill. If these are met, the panel would issue a certificate of eligibility. There would then follow a 14-day reflection period (this would be shortened to 48 hours if death is imminent). After this time, the applicant may make a second declaration to request assistance to end their life. If the applicant’s doctor continues to be satisfied that they meet the eligibility criteria set out in the bill, they would make a statement to that effect and they could prescribe a life-ending “approved substance”, for the applicant to administer themselves.

The bill would provide that a person who assists another person to end their own life in accordance with the bill, or who assists a person seeking to end their own life in accordance with the bill, would not face any criminal liability. The offence of encouraging or assisting suicide (under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961) would continue to apply to assistance falling outside the framework in the bill.

Parliamentary scrutiny

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2026–27 is a private members’ bill (PMB), meaning it has been introduced by an MP who is not a government minister. PMBs are debated on Fridays, with 13 Fridays set aside for this purpose in each parliamentary session.

To become law, a PMB must go through the same stages as a government bill, including second reading, committee stage, report and third reading in both the Commons and the Lords, followed by Royal Assent. It is possible, however, that the consideration of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill may depart from some of these usual stages if the Parliament Acts are engaged.

The Parliament Acts enable the House of Commons to prevent the House of Lords from vetoing public bills (including PMBs) under certain circumstances. The sponsor of the bill, Lauren Edwards MP, has said that she wanted the 2026-27 bill to pass without recourse to the Parliament Acts but has not ruled out using them.