Ask your MSs to
oppose the
Leadbeater assisted
suicide Bill legislative consent motion

Changing the law on assisted suicide would be a seismic change for Wales, imposed by Westminster, and the Bill to which MSs are being asked to consent is deeply flawed.

What about devolution? What is a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM)?

An LCM is a formal mechanism used when the UK Parliament wants to legislate on matters that affect devolved responsibilities in Wales. Because health and care are devolved to Wales, the Senedd must decide whether to grant permission for Westminster to legislate on these devolved matters on Wales’ behalf. Quite apart from the flaws with the Bill in its drafting and the way it has proceeded, the imposition of an assisted suicide regime in Wales from Westminster would be an affront to the devolution settlement.

Scrutiny is exposing flaws

As you may know, the assisted suicide Bill scraped through the House of Commons, obtaining a majority of only 23 votes at Third Reading, a significant reduction from its 55-vote majority at Second Reading. It is now limping through the House of Lords, where Peers have so far spent more than 49 hours applying detailed scrutiny. The Bill has also been the subject of two critical reports from expert Lords Committees and an evidence-gathering process in the form of a special Lords Select Committee, which revealed considerable shortcomings with the Bill as it stands. In short, the scrutiny the Bill has received has only served to amplify rather than alleviate concerns.

What is the view of the Senedd?

The current Senedd has already spoken decisively on this matter, with MSs voting by 26 votes to 19 in October 2024 against a motion calling for Westminster to introduce assisted suicide, making it clear that the Senedd opposes the imposition of assisted suicide on Wales. Of note, the Welsh First Minister, Eluned Morgan and Jeremy Miles, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, both voted against the motion.

Take action today

Legalising assisted suicide would be a dangerous step, and this Bill is a direct threat to vulnerable people across Wales. It is wholly improper for the Parliament in Westminster to legislate on a devolved healthcare matter, particularly when the Senedd so recently voted against assisted suicide. Wales should determine its own approach to caring for terminally ill people nearing the end of life.

It is vital that MSs urgently understand how important this matter is, that the public don’t want to see assisted suicide legalised and available on the NHS in Wales, and certainly not imposed on them by Westminster.

Please enter your postcode in the box above to send an email to your MSs and ask them to vote NO to the Legislative Consent Motion on 24 February.