MPs have voted against a bill that would have changed the law on assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was defeated in the House of Commons by 286 votes to 270. The proposed legislation had prompted debate about individual choice, medical ethics and whether its safeguards would adequately protect vulnerable people.

The bill was a Private Members' Bill, first introduced in 2024 by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who had been successful in the Private Members' Bill ballot. After the bill ran out of parliamentary time in the House of Lords, Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who was selected second in the 2026 ballot, reintroduced the bill.

Under the bill, adults with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less could have requested assistance to end their lives. The person would have been required to self-administer the prescribed medication.

Opponents raised concerns about whether people experiencing suicidal thoughts would receive appropriate assessment and treatment before being considered for assisted dying. On World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September, a letter published in The Times from experts in the law, psychiatry, oncology and palliative care argued that those considering ending their lives should have access to suicide prevention assessments. "We also note that the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which is neutral on the principle of assisted dying, stated that it could not endorse the bill in its current form... From the perspective of suicide prevention, the bill currently before parliament is unsafe."

The Commons vote means the bill will not proceed in its current form, leaving the existing law on assisted dying unchanged.