I’m Prue Leith and I saw my brother suffer a prolonged, painful, undignified death – the UK government must support assisted dying

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Watching my brother endure a long, agonizing, and humiliating death in a hospital was deeply upsetting for our family, the nurses, and other patients. It felt completely avoidable. He repeatedly asked for help to end his suffering, and I don’t understand why his request wasn’t granted. We readily accept the difficult decision to end suffering in other contexts – a soldier ending the life of a critically wounded comrade on the battlefield, or a veterinarian euthanizing a suffering animal. Why was this different?

It’s encouraging that over 70% of people in Britain support assisted dying. However, it’s been a difficult period for those of us advocating for a change in the law. The recent bill in Scotland, despite careful consideration, ultimately failed to pass. At least Scotland made a decision, even though it wasn’t the outcome most people there wanted.

I was so disappointed by what happened with the recent assisted dying bill. It felt like a real letdown to watch a proposal with such strong public and Commons support just… fail in the Lords. It’s supposed to be their job to refine laws, not intentionally block them, and that’s exactly what it seemed like – a deliberate attempt to kill the bill, despite everything.

As a real cinema lover, I was gutted to hear the bill failed. It seems a small group of unelected lords introduced over a thousand changes, effectively killing it by running out the clock. When a bill doesn’t have enough time to be debated and approved, it just…dies. And sadly, that’s exactly what happened here.

As a longtime observer of political dramas – and believe me, Parliament can be very dramatic – I was really struck by how upset everyone was with the way things were handled. It wasn’t just about the specific bill they were debating; the whole process was so mishandled it really hurt the reputation of Parliament itself. It felt like a real blow to the system, honestly, and a lot of people on all sides were furious.

While it may weaken democratic principles, the real tragedy is for those British citizens who were hoping for the option of a peaceful death and are now denied that comfort.

So, where do things stand after this ruling? The campaign for assisted dying isn’t over, and thankfully, groups like Dignity in Dying and My Death, My Decision are determined to keep fighting – and I think they’re on the right side of history. It’s a tough issue, especially when it hits close to home – I even find myself disagreeing with my own son, Danny Kruger, who’s an MP, but we can respectfully hold different views.

Assisted dying is now legal in a growing number of countries, including Canada, most of the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. Even closer to home, the Isle of Man and Jersey have recently updated their laws to allow it. This leaves the UK behind.

If assisted dying is legal in other countries, why haven’t the negative outcomes opponents fear actually happened? A recent report by the House of Commons’ Health and Social Care Committee found no proof that vulnerable people are being pressured by family members or healthcare systems. Furthermore, no country that has legalized assisted dying has since reversed that decision.

Currently, about four percent of deaths in Canada are medical assistance in dying. Some argue this shows the law isn’t adequately protecting vulnerable people. However, I believe it demonstrates the law is working as intended, providing a peaceful option for those who wish to end their suffering. Overall, Canadians are supportive and proud of this law.

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It’s really unfortunate. If a small group of unelected officials hadn’t interfered, we could already have the right to a peaceful and dignified death, choosing when and where it happens.

So, it looks like those MPs are definitely planning to bring this bill back up for a vote as soon as they can – they really want to get it done. And honestly, I get the feeling a lot of people will be on board with that. As a movie buff, I appreciate a good conclusion, and it seems like they’re determined to reach the end credits on this one!

As this discussion goes on, any nobles who appear to have lost touch with their empathy should rediscover it. A little kindness would be appreciated, my lords.

If they continue to refuse compromise, the government needs to use the Parliament Act – a rarely used tool meant to overcome exactly this kind of obstruction – to guarantee the bill becomes law.

Authors

Prue Leith

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2026-05-11 19:55