The next vote on legislation to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales has been delayed by three weeks to give MPs on all sides more time to consider its changes, the MP leading the issue has said.
The bill, which has undergone a significant number of changes since the initial vote in November, will now return to the Commons on 16 May, instead of 25 April, for its report stage and votes if time allows.
In a letter to parliamentary colleagues the day before Easter recess begins, Kim Leadbeater said she was “absolutely confident” that postponing the vote would not delay the bill’s passage towards royal assent.
Labour MPs opposed to the legislation had raised concerns with the timing of the vote, fearing their colleagues would not have enough time to consider the bill’s changes during their final week of local election campaigning.
There were also fears that the highly anticipated impact assessment has been delayed – it was initially planned to be published on Thursday, but will now come next week.
Leadbeater told MPs: “I greatly appreciate the effort colleagues have made to keep the previously announced date free in their diaries, but I have listened carefully to members on all sides of the issue who have told me that they would welcome more time to consider the amendments made to the bill in committee and to consider the new version of the bill in its entirety as a result of these important changes.
“I fully appreciate the dedication and seriousness with which colleagues are approaching this hugely important issue, and feel I have a duty to take these comments on board.”
The architect of the legislation believes the amendments made to the bill in its committee stage have “significantly strengthened what was already the most robust assisted dying legislation in the world, but I appreciate that some of those changes are significant and colleagues will want time to study them”.
She also said she had had a “very productive” meeting with Welsh government representatives on Monday, who she said also deserved more time to consider how the bill, as it has been amended, would apply in England and Wales if it becomes law.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said he still planned to oppose the legislation, but commended Leadbeater’s work so far.
Asked if he would vote for it, Streeting told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “No, I won’t be voting for it, but I do welcome the constructive approach that Kim Leadbeater has taken.”
The government is neutral on the question, and MPs are invited to vote according to their conscience.
Since the initial vote, the high court’s role in approving assisted deaths has been scrapped and replaced by a panel of experts. Additionally, the implementation period has been doubled to a maximum of four years for an assisted dying service to be in place.
The legislation argues that someone in England and Wales who is terminally ill, with less than six months to live, should be legally allowed to end their life, as long as it has been approved by two doctors and an expert panel.
