The implementation of a new assisted dying law in England and Wales has been delayed to 2029, throwing its future into question as its introduction coincides with the next general election.
In a change put forward by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who is sponsoring the assisted dying bill, the timeline for its implementation has been pushed back from two to four years.
If approved, the bill would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales who are expected to die within six months to seek help to end their own life. MPs voted in support of the proposal in November, and it is now undergoing detained scrutiny in the Commons.
A spokesperson for Leadbeater said changes to the proposed legislation since the autumn, including replacing judge scrutiny of assisted dying cases with expert panels, “will inevitably take longer to implement”.
The bill’s supporters had originally intended for it to become law this years and its implementation to begin two years later, in 2027.
The extended timeline means the bill’s implementation may now not begin until 2029, coinciding with the next general election. This means the issue could become politically contentious in the campaign and throw its implementation into question.
A spokesperson for Leadbeater said: “Kim has always been clear that it’s more important to get the assisted dying legislation right than to do it quickly.
“The bill now contains even stronger safeguards than when it was first tabled, with a new judge-led Voluntary Assisted Dying Commission and multi-disciplinary panels to examine every application. These will inevitably take longer to implement.”
“But the four-year limit is not a target, it’s a backstop. Kim hopes and believes the service can be delivered more quickly if it becomes law later this year.”
The new timeline for the bill’s implementation will only become official once it is approved by the committee of MPs who are scrutinising it line-by-line this week.
In a significant change to the original proposals, last month Leadbeater removed the need for every assisted dying case to be scrutinised by a high court judge after concerns this could overwhelm the court system. Instead, cases will be reviewed by panels including a senior lawyer, a psychiatrist and a social worker.
Critics of the proposal warn that people could come under pressure to end their lives, and argue that the replacing judge scrutiny with expert panels weakens the bill’s safeguards.
