2.2.3 – The Legislatve Proces
During the last Parliament Kim Leadbetter’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill failed to pass. This followed the House of Lords putting forward over 1,100 amendments to her bill. Many felt this was an attempt to deliberately obstruct the bill’s passage.
Now another Labour MP, Lauren Edwards, plans to reintroduce the bill to the House of Commons. Importantly, she has said that the bill will be exactly the same as the previous version. This is important because it will mean that the House of Commons can invoke the Parliament Act. The Parliament Act, first introduced in 1911 and extended in 1949, allows the House of Commons to leapfrog the House of Lords if the same bill passes for two consecutive sessions. Edward’s has said she hoped the Parliament Act will not need to be invoked and that the House of Lords can constructively scrutinise the bill.