Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

Viscount Stansgate Excerpts

Friday 16th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Frost (Non-Afl)]

I think I am allowed 15 minutes, actually. I do not think I mentioned Celtic either, just on a point of detail.

That aside, I was reaching—in fact, had already delivered—my peroration. I hope, as I said, the proponents might be open to some reflection on this point. Meanwhile, I beg to move.

[Viscount Stansgate (Lab)]

I point out to the Committee that if Amendment 34 were to be accepted, it would pre-empt Amendment 35, which leads the next group.

The noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, is taking part remotely, and I now invite the noble Lord to address us.

[Lord Shinkwin (Con) [V]]

My Lords, I begin by quickly welcoming back the noble Baroness, Lady Campbell of Surbiton, and thank her for reminding us so eloquently why we have missed her contributions.

I rise to speak to Amendment 34, and I thank my noble friend Lord Frost for tabling it and for his excellent speech. I also thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, for his past commitment to ensuring the law is communicated as clearly as possible by removing the Latin names of the prerogative writs through the Civil Procedure (Modification of Supreme Court Act 1981) Order 2004. Can he explain in his closing remarks why, 22 years later, he appears to have changed his mind on the guiding principle, which I assume informed his earlier decision, that the law should be accessible and unambiguous? Perhaps, and maybe he could clarify this in his closing remarks, he now believes it should be accessible only to some, and that for others it is fine for it to be clouded—or shrouded might be more appropriate, given the fatal consequences of an ill-informed decision on assisted death—in euphemism, nuance and even deceit.

After all, those with a learning disability or Down’s syndrome, for example, are only disabled people, are they not? What does it matter if their disability means they cannot quite grasp the enormity, finality and irreversibility of the decision to seek, as my noble friend’s amendment states,

“help to commit suicide by provision of lethal drugs”?

We know that language matters, but do we know how much it matters to those whose disabilities make them understand less or make comprehension challenging, and, in the case of Down’s syndrome, those whose innate desire to please makes them more prone to agreeing with the question, especially when its implications are not fully grasped?

I hope the noble and learned Lord will accept this amendment and thereby protect not only those whose disabilities make full comprehension difficult but the reputation of your Lordships’ House. Let it never be thought that we do not care if those whose disability-related need for the clarity provided in my noble friend’s amendment are somehow misled to death because of nuance. I hope the noble and learned Lord will show, by accepting this amendment, that those whose disabilities make them particularly vulnerable to ambiguity must not be treated as unfortunate collateral damage.