A fresh push to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales has been introduced, with the MP behind the initiative telling the BBC she aimed to "finish the job".
Lauren Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, stated she would present a bill identical to the one approved by the Commons last year.
That legislation, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, failed to pass the House of Lords in April after an extraordinary number of proposed amendments delayed its progress until it ran out of time.
Critics argued it contained significant flaws that could leave vulnerable individuals vulnerable to pressure to end their lives prematurely.
The proposed law—referred to as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill—would have permitted individuals over 18 who were expected to die within six months to receive assistance in ending their own lives, subject to specific safeguards.
By reintroducing the exact same legislation, Edwards is threatening to trigger seldom-used powers to override peers' objections if they refuse to approve it again.
Bills typically become law only when both Houses of Parliament agree on the final text.
However, the powers under the Parliament Act, which have been invoked only seven times in the last century, mean that if MPs pass an identical bill in two consecutive parliamentary sessions, peers cannot block it a second time.
The Lords can propose amendments that, if accepted by the Commons, would be incorporated into the bill. But if they fail to pass the bill as a whole before the end of the next session—usually about a year later—the unamended bill could become law even without their endorsement.
Opponents have previously cautioned that using the Parliament Act could result in a law being created from a bill about which the Royal College of Psychiatrists, along with numerous disability charities and hospices, have serious reservations.
Edwards told the BBC she was "playing by the rules" and urged the House of Lords to do the same.
"Laws passed in the House of Commons are then refined by the House of Lords but they don't have the opportunity to block them," she said.
"It's perfectly reasonable for us to ask the House of Lords to finish the job."
Labour MP Ashley Dalton said she was "deeply concerned" by the move.
She remarked: "Voters put us in power to reduce the cost of living and fix the NHS. We have debated this deeply divisive and flawed assisted dying bill for over a year and supporters have refused to listen or to make the necessary changes."
She argued that the bill would "hand sweeping unchecked powers over life and death and our NHS to future governments".
The earlier attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales was narrowly approved by MPs in June 2025.
The government maintained an official neutral stance, though several cabinet ministers, including then-health secretary Wes Streeting, voiced opposition.
Sir Keir Starmer voted in favour and, before the general election, promised broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who had been advocating for legalisation, that parliamentary time would be provided for a debate and vote.
Some MPs have questioned whether Andy Burnham, if he were to replace Starmer as prime minister, would be equally supportive.
As an MP in 2015, Burnham abstained on another effort to legalise assisted dying. However, he told BBC Radio Manchester in 2024 that he had since had family experience that had changed his mind and would "probably vote in favour" of the principle of assisted dying.
But he added: "In terms of the implementation of it, I would say there should be a requirement that the hospices of this country get properly funded and sorted out before that law change comes in."
He stated that palliative care was "not in the strong position it should be".
"Consequently, you can't have this law change with an underfunded hospice movement."