How the assisted dying bill could be resurrected

The assisted dying bill has a chance of restarting its journey to becoming law on Thursday.

A random ballot which gives MPs the chance to propose their own new laws will be drawn on Thursday morning.

Those MPs who come in the top few positions in the ballot have a decent chance of their bills passing.

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If a supporter of assisted dying comes high up in the ballot on Thursday - ideally first place - they plan to bring the bill back and give it a second chance of becoming law.

Kim Leadbeater, the backbench Labour MP who previously sponsored the bill, told Sky News MPs should do their "democratic duty" and bring back the bill.

But opponents believe the wind is changing against the bill, and that MPs won't want to spend more time on the controversial piece of legislation.

Recent changes to the law made via the private members bill ballot include making it illegal to sneak into a football match without a ticket and a crackdown on the smuggling of dogs, cats and ferrets.

Ms Leadbeater came first in this ballot the last time it was drawn in summer 2024. Her bill, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, would have given people over 18 who are terminally ill, and in the final six months of their life, the ability to request assistance from a doctor to die.

That bill ran out of time to become law in April, after being held up in the House of Lords who refused to agree to it.

Opponents say it doesn't contain enough safeguards to protect vulnerable people from being coerced into seeking an assisted death.

But because of a piece of procedure called the Parliament Act - which says a bill passed by MPs in two consecutive sessions but rejected by peers becomes law anyway - if a supporter is successful in Thursday's ballot, the bill has a good chance of passing.

What is the chance of the bill coming back?

A random ballot could decide whether the legislation gets a second chance. Sky News understands supporters think between 80 and 100 MPs would definitely reintroduce it.

Backers of assisted dying have previously told Sky News they plan to enlist 200 supportive MPs to enter the ballot to try to bring it back.

But Sky News understands the core group who would definitely reintroduce the bill is smaller. If none of this core group come high up enough in the ballot, they'll seek to persuade any sympathetic MPs who do come in the top few spots that they should be the one to bring the bill back.

Supporters think that an already sympathetic MP would be keen to put their name to what they think is a monumental piece of legislation - but others have suggested the controversy surrounding the topic may put MPs off.

Ms Leadbeater wrote to MPs last week, saying "it is vital that as many colleagues as possible enter the ballot and are prepared to sponsor the bill if successful".

Speaking to Sky News on the eve of the ballot, Ms Leadbeater said it would "give parliament the chance to reach a final decision on this hugely significant piece of legislation, as it should".

She added: "As polling has shown consistently for many years, this is what the vast majority of the public are asking for, and it is our democratic duty to do everything we can to respect their wishes and give dying people choice, dignity and compassion in their final few months of life."

Many MPs and peers, including some opposed to assisted dying, are outraged that the Lords failed to pass the bill, given it was agreed by elected MPs.

Ms Leadbeater said that over 200 peers backed bringing the bill back.

One Labour MP told Sky News that while there is "fatigue" with how long the bill is taking to pass, that was a "tactic" by peers opposed to the bill to stop it becoming law.

"Their mission from the start has been to slow down, frustrate and dismantle the bill at every opportunity in an underhand and undemocratic way," the MP said.

But others fear taking on what has become a controversial topic. One Labour aide told Sky News that while the "vast majority of MPs who backed the assisted dying bill in the last session remain supportive", many Labour MPs "appear to be unwilling to resurrect the bill in the next session if they are successful in the ballot".

A separate letter from 15 opposing Labour MPs, led by senior backbencher Dame Meg Hillier, said it would be "misguided and damaging" to bring the bill back, and a "distraction" from the work of the government.

Labour MP Jess Asato told Sky News: "The last thing Labour MPs should be focusing on right now is continuing to debate this deeply divisive, flawed and risky bill rather than delivering on the priorities of voters."

What if they can't bring the bill back using the ballot?

If no core supporter comes high up enough in the ballot, and backers aren't able to persuade a sympathetic MP to take on the controversial legislation, they could seek to use a different type of backbench bill, called a presentation bill, to bring it back.

But this would have a much smaller chance of becoming law, as these don't usually pass beyond the next first stage - and supporters would have to persuade the government to give it time on the grounds of protecting the authority of the democratically elected Commons over the unelected Lords.

Ministers are understood to have rejected formally taking on the bill as government legislation, as they fear splitting the Labour Party over an issue its MPs disagree on.

Even if supporters are successful in the ballot on Thursday, the bill would still face many more months of scrutiny in parliament. But supporters hope that it would be the first step in finally changing the law.

(c) Sky News 2026: How the assisted dying bill could be resurrected