How can a lottery change the law in the UK? #Lottery #BBCNews

Added: 2026-05-23

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[00:00:02]>> Did you know that some of our laws come from a lottery? A ban on large shops opening on Christmas Day, making pet theft a specific crime, and raising the legal age of marriage to 18. All of these laws were proposed by MPs whose names were drawn by chance. The ballot starts with every new session of parliament with 20 MPs picked at random.

[00:00:18]These bills often failed, like the recent attempt to legalize assisted dying. But the Lib Dem Andrew George, who supported assisted dying, came near the top of the ballot this time. As soon as your name comes out, the lobby groups are straight on on you.

[00:00:30]>> Will he go for assisted dying again?

[00:00:31]>> That's certainly on on the list. What I'm going to do is is consult my constituents. So, I don't want to kind of narrow it down too much at this stage. It all depends on the look of the drawer.