Campaigners 'angry and disappointed' as assisted dying bill set to fail

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]People are feeling very angry and disappointed because almost exactly a year ago, last June, we were here on these grounds outside parliament celebrating what supporters of the assisted dying bill thought was an historic achievement. It hasn't come to pass because it the bill went into the lords and because of amendments and effectively what they've done in the lords is made sure that the bill hasn't got enough time to be sent back to the commons and go for royal ascent. So on Friday, the bill effectively dies a death in the House of Lords. And campaigners here behind me, you can see over there gathered as well, absolutely furious that this has happened. But the promise here is that this is not the end of it. The bill will be introduced in the next parliament and hopefully it'll get the support it needs. It had the support last time. It'll get the support it needs and this time it will pass into law. Let's speak to two people who really need no introduction. and Rebecca Wilcox the broadcaster and Pule the broadcaster. Um first of all you are Esther Ranson's daughter prominent campaigner. How is mom?

[00:01:07]>> So mom is okay. She uh she's paliotative now. The drugs have stopped working which is obviously devastating for us but she's indomitable and inddehaticable and we she's still here. She's still campaigning. She's so behind this campaign. She's so grateful to everyone that's told us our stories that have kept us going and she's devastated that this is happening today. But but she's here in spirit. Lots of heartbreaking testimony from the people who are gathered here today. It's difficult for them. But this is the parliamentary process. This is how how bills work.

[00:01:43]>> I don't believe this is the parliamentary process. I believe that this is what the Hansard who are implibably neutral called a filibuster.

[00:01:49]It's sabotage. It's democratic vandalism. Actually, it's not the democratic the process. The democratic process is allowing a vote. It is not 1% of peers putting forward nearly all the amendments, over a thousand amendments.

[00:02:03]It's appalling. It's disgraceful and it's actually the anti-democratic process.

[00:02:08]>> I was asked just now, what is the feeling here? I would describe it as a sense of anger. Would you agree with that?

[00:02:14]>> I would say it's determined anger. I would say we've been here before. We've we've had decades and decades of campaigning for this and we will just keep going. So it is determination. It is anger. It is about a bit of fury from me I'm afraid but we're going to keep going.

[00:02:30]>> Okay. Pul everyone has been following your story. Remind some people who might be watching just now why you are so invested in this and why you want to see assisted dying become law. Well, originally I I became interested in the whole subject because my um my brother had a horrible death in an NHS hospital with not enough um pain relief. Um and he couldn't be given any more morphine because the doctor said, "I I can't do that because he might die." And I said, "But you've just told us he's dying within 3 weeks anyway. Why don't you just put him out of his misery? he's desperate to die because it's he's in such pain and the drugs aren't working and and they said they couldn't do it and I just thought that's ridiculous. So that's why I got into it. But now I'm just I'm just so indignant that if you think that over 75% of the public are entirely in favor of an assisted dying bill and what's happened is a handful of lords a handful I mean five of them or six of them produced over a thousand amendments which is more amendments than any bill has ever had in parliament. and they're some of them are complete nonsense.

[00:03:49]They're just there in order to make sure that the bill runs out of time and because of this ridiculous glitch in the process which means if it runs out of time it falls instead of being you know given more time or whatever. So I I'm really indignant and angry about it and particularly I mean I I I think what those lords did was pretty well criminal but I don't suppose they'll ever come to.

[00:04:15]>> Okay. I heard you addressing the crowd earlier and you said we will be back.

[00:04:19]Keep hope. Keep faith. Are you sure you will have the same level of support you did in the comments this time around?

[00:04:25]>> I think we'll have more. I think what the lords have done have got so many people even people on their side are now saying that's not right. That's not right. And so I think we will come back with more support and it's in fact the support has been growing steadily over the years. And I don't see why it won't it won't keep doing it because you know who who can argue with somebody's desire to die when they're having such a perfectly miserable time. We're not talking about anybody. We're not talking about 12year-old children or people with mental problems. We're talking about people who are already dying, who are in intolerable pain and um and incurable.

[00:05:06]>> Yeah, this is a hugely contentious issue. Are you sure the country is ready to take such a big step?

[00:05:13]>> Absolutely. They have been asked again and again. There's been there's been every constituency has been individually pled and is majority in favor. It is across the country. 75% of the UK is in favor of an assisted dying bill. This is the safest bill of its kind. We are world leaders in safeguards when it comes to assisted dying and this bill this bill is what the people want and just just as you say six or seven peers are stopping it for the whole country and the human cost for that is disgusting. The amount of people who have died during my campaigning experience is extraordinary and heartbreaking and they should be here today. My mom should be allowed this choice. Everyone should be allowed this choice at the end of their lives.

[00:05:55]>> Rebecca, thank you so much. Thank you P for joining us. So indignant, angry, disappointed. You've heard the raw emotion from two supporters of this dime bill. They will continue campaigning, but Friday is really the end of the process for this bill as it stands. The promise here is it might be delayed, but it's not dead and it will come back and they will have the support it needs. And we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next uh commons uh term if it does come back. And if it does have the support it had last time round,