News

Assisted dying bill: Special series #9 - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 85

28 Mar 2025
©
©

In this ninth instalment of our special mini-podcast series, we continue to explore the latest developments in the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, often referred to as the assisted dying bill. We are joined by Dr Marie Tidball MP to discuss the amendments she has secured for a Disability Advisory Board and an independent advocate for people with learning disabilities.

LISTEN
Subscribe

After more than 90 hours of debate and over 100 votes, the Public Bill Committee has concluded its work on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

In this week’s special episode, Ruth and Mark talk to committee member Dr Marie Tidball MP. She shares her insights into the amendments she proposed to ensure disabled people have proper support and protection in navigating the assisted dying process—and reflects on her experience working on the Bill Committee.

The Bill is now set to return to the House of Commons for Report Stage consideration in April. Already, new amendments are being tabled, touching on issues such as the rights of people with neurodegenerative conditions and whether clinicians should be permitted to raise assisted dying as an option with patients.

Ruth and Mark break down the key changes made during Committee Stage and offer a preview of the debates to come.

Listen on our YouTube channel (captioned)

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Our guest

Dr Marie Tidball MP

Dr Marie Tidball MP

Marie Tidball was elected in 2024 as the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire. She is a member of the House of Commons Education Committee and has also served as a member of the Public Bill Committee of MPs appointed to scrutinise the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the bill to legalise assisted dying – which she supported in principle at its Second Reading. She is also Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. Before becoming an MP, she studied criminology and was awarded a doctorate on autistic adult defendants in the criminal justice system. As an MP with physical disabilities, she has spoken out about the everyday difficulties that she faces navigating the parliamentary estate.

Resources

Hansard Society

Parliament

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.

00:00:00] Intro: You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hanard Society Production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org uk/PM.

[00:00:17] Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

[00:00:24] Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. And welcome to the latest in our series of special podcasts, charting the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill, the bill that would enable assisted dying in England and Wales.

[00:00:36] And this week, Ruth, the bill reached an important milestone. The end of its marathon committee stage.

[00:00:41] Ruth Fox: It did half past midnight on, uh, well, early hours of Wednesday morning. The committee finally concluded its proceedings. So, uh, 29 sittings. I'm told 90 or so hours. I haven't calculated them myself, but that's what we're told.

[00:00:56] 110 divisions. The committee stage comprises 850 pages of Hansard text. So, uh, yes, it's been a marathon

[00:01:05] Mark D'Arcy: And one of the most significant players in the latter stages of the Committee has been Marie Tidball, a Labour MP and disability campaigner who pushed through significant changes aimed at helping to protect people with disabilities.

[00:01:17] Now, we've discussed on the pod before that most of the new MPs on the Committee have little experience of this kind of scrutiny work. But she's the exception to the rule as she told us when we met her just hours after that Committee had risen.

Read more

Subscribe to Parliament Matters

Use the links below to subscribe to the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters podcast on your preferred app, or search for 'Parliament Matters' on whichever podcasting service you use. If you are unable to find our podcast, please email us here.

Apple Podcast logo

Apple

©

YouTube Podcasts

Spotify logo

Spotify

More ways to subscribe
Parliament Matters homepage

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 17-21 November 2025

The assisted dying bill will have its second Committee Stage sitting in the Lords. Home Office, Transport, Energy and Northern Ireland Ministers will face oral questions in the Commons. MPs will scrutinise the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill. Backbench MPs will lead debates on International Men’s Day and on Injury in Service Awards. In the Lords, scrutiny continues of the Crime and Policing Bill, the Employment Rights Bill, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Select Committees will question the Work and Pensions Secretary and several junior ministers and will examine issues such as children’s care, digital ID, home ownership, cryptocurrency, fiscal policy, and clinical negligence.

16 Nov 2025
Read more

News / Assisted dying bill - special series #18: A conversation with the Bill’s sponsor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 115

In this episode, we are joined by Lord Falconer, the Labour Peer steering the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill through the House of Lords. Although he has attempted to legislate for assisted dying several times before, this is the first occasion he is working with a bill that has already cleared the House of Commons. In a wide-ranging conversation, he explains why this issue has driven him for more than a decade and assesses the Bill’s prospects of becoming law. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

14 Nov 2025
Read more

Briefings / Assisted dying - The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Rolling news

Stay informed with updates and analysis on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as it moves through Parliament. Learn about the debates, procedures, decisions, and key milestones shaping the assisted dying legislation.

15 May 2025
Read more

Blog / Assisted dying bill: How does Committee Stage work in the House of Lords?

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – the Bill to legalise assisted dying – will begin its Committee Stage in the House of Lords on Friday 14 November. In this blog, we explain how Committee Stage works in the House of Lords, including how the House debates and decides on amendments, and how long this stage is likely to take.

11 Nov 2025
Read more

Briefings / The assisted dying bill: A guide to the legislative process in the House of Lords

Having passed through the House of Commons, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill - the Bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales - must now go through its legislative stages in the House of Lords. This guide explains the special procedures for legislation in the House of Lords, and for Private Members’ Bills in particular. It answers some frequently asked questions, including how Peers might block the Bill, and gives an explanation of each stage of the process, from Second to Third Reading.

10 Sep 2025
Read more

Categories

Themes

Contact

Legal

Fundraising Regulator logo