The Parliament Act 1911 could be the key to cracking the deadlock currently facing the assisted dying bill in the House of Lords, according to a new cross-party group of MPs.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for House of Lords Reform, which is chaired by Labour MP Simon Opher, is considering mounting a campaign to use the Parliament Act to get the assisted dying bill passed into law. The bill is currently at the committee stage in the House of Lords but its backers fear there is a strong chance it could run out of time. Members of the Lords have introduced more than 1,000 amendments to the bill.
The Parliament Act 1911 was introduced under the premiership of then Liberal prime minister, Herbert Asquith. His Chancellor, David Lloyd-George had found himself unable to pass the “People’s Budget” owing to it being rejected by the Conservative dominated House of Lords. It removed the power of the Lords to veto legislation. For example, under the act if a bill is rejected by the Lords, or if it runs out of time, then the House of Commons may re-introduce an identical bill which can be passed through parliament without going through the Lords.
Opher and the APPG for House of Lords Reform are considering mounting a campaign – should the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill fail to pass into law – to invoke the Parliament Act. The bill passed its third reading in the Commons with 314 MPs voting in favour and 291 voting against. Even MPs who voted against the bill have voiced their concern at delays to its passage through the Lords. In December, Labour MPs, Nia Griffiths, Justin Madders and Debbie Abrahams – all of whom had voted against the bill – wrote in a piece for The Guardian: “the question now is: is it acceptable for the Lords simply to keep talking in an attempt to reach the end of the parliamentary session without ever getting to a vote? The answer to that must be no.”
Speaking to the New Statesman, the MP for Stroud said the campaign’s aim would be to encourage all eligible MPs who had backed the bill to put in for a Private Members Bill (government ministers are not eligible). If selected, those MPs would then reintroduce the original text of the assisted dying bill, which then could pass once again through the Commons. Opher and the APPG said they hoped the campaign would shed more light on the need to reform the Lords – a pledge which was included in the 2024 Labour Manifesto.
Opher told the New Statesman: “At a time when the integrity of the House of Lords has hit a low, a gang of unelected peers continue to use filibustering tactics that will kill the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and undermine the will of the elected chamber.” Opher, who is a GP explained: “MPs like me will enter the private members bill, bring the bill back and invoke the Parliament Act in order to uphold the will of the people.” Opher made a plea to members of the Lords currently looking to “filibuster” the bill. “If the Lords want to change the bill, this is their last chance. It will go through without their help”.
Note: This article was amended on February 13 2026 to remove an assertion that David Lloyd George introduced the Parliament Act, it was introduced by Herbert Asquith. It was also amended to remove an assertion that it was at the third reading stage in the House of Lords, it is at the committee stage.
[Further reading: Why is Labour so unpopular?]
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