The Bill as drafted is full of holes. MPs are being asked to wave these through and allow ministers — from any governing party — to fill them in later.
Delegated powers
Large parts of how this law would work in practice are left to be decided later through secondary legislation (regulations), rather than being set out and voted on by Parliament now.
That means Labour MPs are being asked to vote for a Bill without knowing exactly how it will work in practice. These regulations would cover a vast amount of important detail, from safeguarding, to advertising, to the ability of companies to make profit under the new system. MPs will not be able to amend these regulations later – only to vote for or against – and it may not even be a Labour government which ultimately brings them in.
“The [2024–2026] assisted dying Bill had an awful lot of Henry VIII powers: 42 delegated powers for any future Government — who may be mad, bad or dangerous, and of any existing party or one yet to be thought of — to make these decisions.”
— Dame Meg Hillier MP
Too complex for a Private Member’s Bill to get right
This Bill isn’t just a conscience issue – it would bring in one of the most significant changes to our health and legal systems in a generation, but it’s progressing as a backbench Private Member’s Bill (PMB) – instead of being owned by the government departments that would actually have to deliver it in practice.
No Private Member’s Bill of this length or complexity has ever been through Parliament before – at 59 clauses it is over 8 times longer than the Bill which decriminalised abortion, and over 14 times longer than the one which abolished the death penalty. It is an unprecedented use of this process.
Use of the Parliament Act
Supporters of the Bill have been clear that they want to use the Parliament Act 1911 to prevent the Lords from being able to stop the Bill passing. This means MPs won’t be able to change it, and are expected to pass the version that was reintroduced to Parliament in June 2026.
This has never been done with a Private Member’s Bill before – once again, it is asking MPs to give up their right to scrutinise the detail.
“This process is flawed, fundamentally flawed. This is not how we make legislation.”
— Naz Shah MP · New Statesman