Esther Rantzen: Assisted dying bill almost certain to fail as esther rantzen accuses peers of 'blatant sabotage'

The attempt to introduce an assisted dying law looks likely to fail in the current parliamentary session, and esther rantzen has accused some peers of what she called "blatant sabotage" as amendments and limited sitting time leave the bill without sufficient debate. The bill passed the House of Commons but has stalled in the House of Lords.

House of Lords amendments and the ticking clock — less than six days left

A small number of opponents in the House of Lords have laid down so many amendments that the bill will not be voted on in time to pass before the parliamentary session ends in May; there are less than six days left for debate. Roy Kennedy, the Labour whip in the House of Lords, told a parliamentary committee that the government would not give the bill any more time because there are only a limited number of sitting Fridays left. While the government could have extended the parliamentary session to make room for further debate, officials say that would have been an extraordinary step.

How the bill got this far: Kim Leadbeater, Commons backing and No 10's free vote

The law was proposed by backbench MP Kim Leadbeater and was backed by a majority in the House of Commons. It did not have formal government sponsorship, but No 10 allowed a "free vote" for MPs so they could follow their conscience and the vote was not whipped. The legislation would allow assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live.

Backers plan a constitutional route — the 1911 Parliament Act 'nuclear option'

Supporters of the bill, including Kim Leadbeater and Charles Falconer, have taken advice on forcing the bill through in the next session using the 1911 Parliament Act if peers continue to block it. Some backers describe that high-stakes move as the "nuclear option"; it would be the first time the 1911 Act had been invoked for a private member's bill. They say they have extensive legal and constitutional advice that would allow the Commons to force peers to vote on the bill unamended in the next session.

Under the procedure, after the parliamentary session ends a bill must be reintroduced and passed again in the new session to trigger the Act's override mechanism, and it must be exactly the same version as passed by the Commons. There are two ways to invoke the Parliament Act: a supporter can adopt it at the next private member's bill ballot, or the government can give the bill time to return to the Commons. Since its 1949 revision, the Parliament Act has been used only for a handful of measures, including decriminalising homosexuality and banning foxhunting.

Arguments in the Lords and public criticism, including from Dame Esther Rantzen

Opponents in the House of Lords have felt able to frustrate the bill in part because it was not sponsored by the government and was not part of the Labour party manifesto with an electoral mandate. There is no formal rule preventing peers from using tactics to delay or amend a bill, and those opponents argue the Commons did not sufficiently scrutinise the legislation and that peers are carrying out their duty by holding it to account.

Supporters say it is undemocratic for peers to in effect block legislation and that such tactics run against the spirit of parliament, which holds that MPs should have primacy over peers. Campaigners in favour of the bill have accused peers of "sabotage, " and Dame Esther Rantzen explicitly accused some peers of "blatant sabotage. "

Gorton and Denton by-election count: Greens look in the lead as turnout data arrives

Separately, voting has finished in the Gorton and Denton by-election, where the Greens are looking like they are in the lead. Turnout figures show 36, 903 people voted, equal to 47. 6% of the eligible electorate in the constituency; for comparison, 47. 8% of people voted in the constituency at the 2024 general election. Observers note it is looking like the Greens could be in the lead at the moment.

Elements of the count have produced sharp commentary. A Labour MP said Sir Keir Starmer "must own this catastrophe, " adding that "McSweeney forced Starmer into the room with the NEC to block the most popular Labour politician in England in Andy Burnham, " and arguing that episode "showed weakness not strength. " The MP said "Keir has got away, for too long, with saying he hadn’t been involved when decisions taken have gone wrong. This time he, Keir, must own this catastrophe, " and warned that "the Greens with a foothold in Manchester is nothing less than a disaster for the Party. "

A Green source said only the Greens, not Labour, can beat Reform UK: "We've said from the start that we weren't here to be disappointed with Labour but to replace them, and from day one of this by-election, we've said only Greens could beat Reform. The Greens are now the only party that can protect this country from the dangerous threat of Reform. Labour has shown it is not up to the job. We need to wait for the results to come in but whatever happens, it's fair to say Greens are here to stay as the progressive voice of British politics. "

A Reform source said things were tight and predicted Labour could finish third, calling that outcome "an amazing result either way" because Gorton and Denton is low down on Reform's list of target seats. National polling context cited at the count put Reform on 24%, with Labour and the Conservatives level on 18%.