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Assisted dying bill: Special series #15 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 103

13 Aug 2025

On Friday 12 September, the House of Lords will debate the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. We explore what lies ahead for the Bill in the Upper House with Sir David Beamish, former Clerk of the Parliaments – the Lords’ most senior official. Sharing an insider’s guide to the Chamber’s unique, self-regulating procedures, Sir David explains how the legislative process differs from the Commons, and what that could mean for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’s potentially long and contested passage.

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The process may look similar to that in the Commons, with a Second Reading debate, Committee and Report stages and then a Third Reading, but the way Peers handle legislation is very different. The Lords is a self-regulating House, with no Speaker to select amendments or decide who speaks next. Instead, a largely invisible web of conventions shapes proceedings and guides behaviour. Sir David predicts these customs, reinforced by “peer pressure”, will discourage maverick Peers from filibustering or using procedural tricks to block the bill.

Nonetheless, the bill’s progress in the Upper House could be long and demanding. Past assisted dying bills have drawn huge speakers’ lists, marathon debates and a flood of amendments. This one already has 88 Peers signed up to speak at Second Reading on 12 September, with more likely to join in the remaining days before the debate. Significant amendments – particularly on constitutional questions, delegated powers and safeguards – are likely. Any such changes would send the Bill back to the Commons for at least one, and potentially several, rounds of parliamentary “ping-pong”.

Sir David explains the timetabling challenges, the scrutiny role of the Lords Constitution Committee and the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, and the informal but powerful influence of Peers with critical areas of expertise. From seasoned legal voices to vocal campaigners on both sides, the debate will cut across party lines, test the chamber’s self-regulating culture, and could keep Peers engaged in lengthy Friday sittings for many months to come.

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Our guest

Sir David Beamish. ©

Sir David Beamish KCB

Sir David Beamish served as the Clerk of the Parliaments, the most senior official in the House of Lords, from 2011 to 2017. During his parliamentary career he held several key roles, including Clerk of the Journals, Clerk of Committees and Clerk of the Overseas Office. From 1983 to 1986, David was seconded to the Cabinet Office, where he served as Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords and Government Chief Whip. He was knighted in 2017 for parliamentary service. He was joint editor, with Donald Shell, ofThe House of Lords at Work, published by Oxford University Press in 1993. Following his retirement he was appointed as an honorary Senior Research Associate of the Constitution Unit at UCL. He is the Chair of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Finance, an Honorary Steward at Westminster Abbey, and Vice-Chair of the Parochial Church Council of the parish of St Barnabas, Dulwich. David was the winner of BBC Mastermind in 1988, with his specialist subject being the life and times of Nancy Astor.

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Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. And welcome to the latest in our special series of mini pods, following the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.

Ruth Fox: Next month, the House of Lords begins its consideration of the bill with a second reading debate on the 12th of September.

Mark D'Arcy: And while superficially, the Lords process looks very similar to the Commons with Second Reading, Committee, Report and Third Reading stages, the way things operate in the upper house is in fact very different.

Ruth Fox: So, to guide us through their [00:01:00] processes, we've recruited an eminent Lords procedural guru. He's Sir David Beamish, former clerk of the Parliaments, that's the chief clerk to their Lordship's house, and full transparency, he's also a Hansard Society trustee. David, welcome to the pod.

David Beamish: Well, thank you for inviting me and I hope I can live up to that billing.

Mark D'Arcy: So David, set the scene for us. What will be going on in the run up to this debate on September the 12th. What sort of things will be happening? I know there's an accumulating speakers list, for example.

David Beamish: Yes. Well, the House has gone into recess on the 24th of July and is coming back on the 1st of September. So just 11 days before the scheduled Second Reading on the 12th of September. So in a way, not much at the moment. But as you say, there's a lengthening speakers list. At the time of the House rising, 88 members had put their names down to speak on the Second Reading.

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