Lord Falconer has warned that the House of Lords risks being seen as “an irrelevant talking shop” as peers continue scrutiny of the assisted dying bill
The former Labour minister was speaking as the Lords began another day of debate on the legislation, which faces the prospect of running out of time. More than 1,200 amendments have been tabled, with around 350 debated so far.
If the current parliamentary session ends before all amendments are considered, the bill will fail, and there will be no change in the law. The session is due to conclude in May.
The legislation was passed by MPs in June last year. However, peers opposed to legalising assisted dying have faced criticism for prolonging debate and slowing the bill’s progress.
Lord Falconer, who is sponsoring the bill in the Lords, said proceedings were moving at a “glacial pace”.
He told peers: "The way it is going at the moment, we will reach no conclusions whatsoever. We will appear to be an irrelevant talking shop."
He has previously indicated that, should the bill fail in the Lords, he would seek to use the Parliament Acts, a rarely used mechanism allowing legislation to bypass the Upper Chamber, to secure its passage without peers’ approval.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would permit adults in England and Wales who are terminally ill and have less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death.
Opponents argue the bill, in its current form, lacks sufficient safeguards and say greater investment should instead be directed towards palliative and hospice care.