LIBERAL Democrat MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse visited 10 Downing Street with MPs and campaigners to urge the Government to respect the will of the House of Commons.

Joined by Bath resident and leader of Bath and Bristol Dignity in Dying Campaign Group, Pauline Carrol, she delivered petitions containing hundreds of signatures calling on the Government not to allow the issue to be shelved.

Public support for a change in the law on assisted dying is strong.

In March, 2024, the largest-ever poll on assisted dying conducted by Opinium Research found that 75 per cent of respondents supported making assisted dying lawful for terminally ill adults, while just 14 per cent opposed such a change.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill proposes allowing terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and an expert panel.

It is set to fall at the conclusion of Friday’s (April 24) debate despite having secured support from MPs at both Second and Third Reading in the Commons.

More than 1,200 amendments have been tabled by peers in the House of Lords, with more than half submitted by just seven opponents.

With limited time remaining, only seven of the Bill’s 59 clauses have been debated.

Ms Hobhouse said: “It is deeply frustrating that a Bill which has already secured the support of elected MPs risks falling due to a lack of Parliamentary time, rather than a lack of public backing.

“The evidence is clear, people across the country overwhelmingly support giving terminally ill adults choice and dignity at the end of their lives.

“The Government must not allow a few opponents in the unelected chamber to block the will of the country and the MPs they elected.”