Assisted dying bill: MP calls Lords' amendments 'crackpot' and says they delay progress

Labour MP Peter Prinsley criticised more than a thousand House of Lords amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as delay tactics and urged Commons leaders to consider extending the parliamentary session to prevent the measure from falling.

A Labour MP and former NHS surgeon, Peter Prinsley, has spoken in support of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and criticised changes proposed in the House of Lords. He said the Lords have tabled a large number of amendments that he considers intended to delay the bill. Prinsley described having seen severe end-of-life suffering in clinical practice and argued the bill offers a choice for terminally ill adults. He has asked Commons leaders to consider an extension of the parliamentary session to avoid the bill falling. Key points: - Peter Prinsley, MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, supports the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and cited professional experience in explaining his position. - He described more than a thousand proposed amendments in the House of Lords and called some of them "crackpot," saying they function as delay tactics or a filibuster. - Prinsley highlighted specific amendment examples he finds inappropriate, such as blanket pregnancy tests and limits on travel in the final year of life, and said these can be impractical. - He urged the Leader of the House of Commons to consider allowing the measure to pass into the next session to prevent it falling at the end of the current parliamentary session; opponents of the bill say it could change societal attitudes toward the elderly and disabled and emphasise the role of palliative care. Summary: If the House of Lords amendments lead to the bill not concluding before the session ends, the measure could fall and require reintroduction, which Prinsley says would raise constitutional concerns. The next procedural point is whether Commons leadership will seek an extension of the session or allow the bill to be carried over; otherwise the current session is expected to run out around spring.