New polling from More in Common has revealed that fewer than one in three (29%) of the general public think that a new assisted suicide bill should be introduced as soon as possible in the same form as the assisted suicide Bill that has failed to become law – as would have to happen should an MP want to use the Parliament Acts to bypass the House of Lords to force the Bill into law.
In contrast, a majority of the public (53%) thought the Bill should either not return or, if it returns, it should be introduced with stronger safeguards, which would mean introducing a different Bill, therefore ruling out the use of the Parliament Acts to bypass the Lords.
The polling also found that only 34% of the public polled thought the Lords should not be able to block laws passed by elected MPs if the law is not in the Government’s manifesto. Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill is a Private Members’ Bill and was not part of Labour’s General Election manifesto.
Following the failure of Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill, polling organisation More in Common asked 2,041 adults in Britain at the end of April this year which safeguards would be important to them should another assisted suicide Bill be introduced.
The polling found that the overwhelming majority of the public believes that, if the assisted suicide Bill were to return, palliative care must first be offered as an alternative to assisted suicide before assisted suicide can take place
90% of respondents who took a position on the question thought that palliative care must be offered as an alternative to assisted suicide first. 52% of respondents agreed it was “essential” that palliative care must be offered as an alternative to assisted suicide first and a further 31% said this was “Good to have”. Only 9% thought it unnecessary.
The polling also found 71% of those who took a position were supportive of the need for approval from a judge as a safeguard. 34% of respondents agreed it was “essential” that a judge approve assisted suicide and a further 30% said this was “Good to have”.
In March last year, Kim Leadbeater removed the requirement that a High Court judge approve assisted suicide applications, despite the fact that this was presented as the flagship safeguard of her Bill, and despite assurances from her that this safeguard would not be removed. The More in Common polling shows the overwhelming majority of the public would want this safeguard in place should an assisted suicide Bill return.
The polling also found 95% of those who took a position were supportive of the need for “strict rules against family or financial pressure on the patient” as a safeguard in cases of assisted suicide. 65% of respondents agreed this safeguard was “essential” and a further 22% said it was “Good to have”.
Collapse of assisted suicide Bill
The polling comes just days after the final day of Committee Stage of the assisted suicide Bill was completed in the House of Lords, and the Bill subsequently failed at the prorogation of Parliament.
The fall of the assisted suicide Bill comes as new polling suggests that the Bill would likely fail if it were reintroduced in the House of Commons, and an analysis reveals there have been near-unprecedented levels of opposition to the Bill in the House of Lords.
Public does not support Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill
Polling from JL Partners has revealed that the public does not support Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill, even among those who support assisted suicide in principle, and it does not support forcing the Bill into law without the consent of the House of Lords.
Another recent poll by More In Common showed that the majority of the public does not support bypassing the House of Lords to force through the assisted suicide Bill, as would occur if the Parliament Acts were invoked in relation to the Bill in the next parliamentary session, as Lord Falconer has threatened.
Despite the polling including leading questions in favour of the Bill, 54% of the public polled thought the Bill should either not return or would have to pass both Houses again – whereas only 46% of those polled thought the Bill should bypass the House of Lords.
The polling showed that majorities do not support the bypassing of the House of Lords among both men and women, and among voters of every major political party.
The polling also showed that those who strongly support legalising assisted suicide remain low at just 28% of the public, a drop compared to the 32% of those polled who strongly supported legalising assisted suicide in November 2024.
The release of the polling follows ongoing campaigning from assisted suicide lobby group, Dignity in Dying, to build support for bringing back Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill in the next parliamentary session and then using the Parliament Acts to bypass the House of Lords.
Taking the unprecedented route of using the Parliament Acts to bypass House of Lords’ scrutiny of a Private Members’ Bill would be politically explosive and divisive, setting a precedent that may worry many MPs. It would be the first time ever that the Parliament Acts would be used for a Private Members’ Bill – and this recent polling confirms that taking this approach is not supported by the public.
This poll follows earlier polling, which found that 70% of the public who expressed a view believe Peers should be able to vote against a Private Members’ Bill, like the assisted suicide Bill, if they believe it would harm vulnerable people.
The House of Lords Constitution Committee and Hansard Society have both confirmed that Peers are constitutionally free to reject the Bill. As the Bill is not a Government Bill and was not in any party’s election manifesto, there is no convention requiring the Lords to pass it.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Poll after poll has shown that it is not just MPs and Peers who have serious concerns about the now-defunct assisted suicide Bill, but the general public too. The more the public delves into the details of assisted suicide and its actual operation, the more concerned they are, as illustrated by the fact that the overwhelming majority want greater protections in any future assisted suicide Bill”.
“Hopefully, with the collapse of Leadbeater’s flawed Bill, MPs will see there is no appetite for another Bill which jeopardises the vulnerable and completely fails to address major issues in end of life care”.
