Key facts
- Labour MPs Gareth Snell and Meg Hillier issued a joint appeal to colleagues.
- Snell voted in favour of the assisted dying bill; Hillier voted against it.
- They warned against forcing the bill through using an obscure parliamentary procedure.
- The warning came in the hours before the next vote, according to the Guardian.
- The bill has continued to be blocked by the House of Lords.
MPs who voted on opposite sides of the assisted dying debate have joined together to warn the House of Commons against taking what they described as an “extraordinary risk” by forcing the bill through if it continues to be blocked by the House of Lords, according to the Guardian.
The joint appeal was issued by two Labour MPs: Gareth Snell, who voted in favour of the bill, and Meg Hillier, who voted against it. Their intervention brings together figures from both camps ahead of a crucial moment in the bill’s progress.
The pair wrote a warning letter to colleagues in the hours before the next vote, the Guardian reported. Their central concern is the potential use of an obscure parliamentary procedure to push the legislation through despite resistance in the Lords.
The bill has continued to be blocked by the House of Lords, setting up a standoff between the two chambers over how the legislation should proceed.
By uniting MPs who disagree on the substance of assisted dying itself, the letter frames the objection as one of parliamentary process rather than the merits of the policy. The appeal underscores unease among some MPs about the methods that could be used to overcome the Lords’ opposition.
Why it matters
Assisted dying is one of the most sensitive issues facing Parliament, and how the bill advances could set a precedent for handling deadlock between the Commons and the Lords. The joint warning from MPs on both sides highlights concern that procedural shortcuts, rather than the policy itself, could shape a decision of profound moral consequence.