Overview
- The House of Commons voted down the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 286 to 270, blocking it at second reading and stopping it from progressing in its current form.
- The draft law would have allowed adults judged likely to die within six months to seek an assisted death after approval from two doctors and an expert panel.
- Support narrowed steadily since 2024 and the September 11, 2026 vote produced a surprise reversal after a four‑plus hour debate in which MPs cited worries about prognostic uncertainty and weak safeguards.
- Medical colleges, church leaders and disability groups warned the bill left too many unanswered questions about coercion, capacity and mental‑health checks while charities urged urgent spending on patchy palliative and social care.
- The Commons defeat makes the previously discussed use of the Parliament Acts unusable for this measure and means any future change would require a new bill or a renewed Commons majority.