Progression of Bills through Parliament

Siân Berry Excerpts

Monday 8th June 2026 Westminster Hall

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

Many thanks, Sir Edward, for your firm chairing today, which I now look forward to. I sincerely thank the petitioners, and particularly Sophie Blake for all the work she does and for a very well put petition. I also thank Nathaniel Dye, and I had the genuine honour of meeting him and seeing his work before his death.

I want to add a cross-party voice to the debate. The Greens were not whipped on the issue of assisted dying—we do not whip our Members in any debates—but all four Green MPs voted for this issue of conscience. However, that is not what we are here to debate today; we are here to talk about the process. I was so impressed with it and with the seriousness with which my colleagues and colleagues across the House took this issue. We made our decisions after so much debate and engagement with the Bill text and the amendments, and debates in our offices and with our staff. In our constituencies, we all spoke with constituents from a wide range of different groups. I spoke with young people, disabled people, faith groups, several terminally ill people and people caring for those who were terminally ill. This was serious work.

I was a very new MP when the Bill went through its Second Reading, and I found it so inspiring. It is a sad topic, but I found the debate extraordinary. After all the debate in the House of Commons, which was unwhipped—by any party—and conducted with such seriousness on an issue of conscience, all that work led to a majority for the Bill. We all know what happened next: a refusal by the House of Lords to come to any kind of decision, and the effective blocking of any further consideration of this issue, into which we had all put so much work.

[Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Lab)]

I thank my constituency neighbour for giving way. Many of my constituents have been deeply upset by the way a small number of peers blocked the passage of the assisted dying Bill, despite the broad support from the public and from a majority of MPs every time it was voted on. Does she agree that debate on the Bill, about which there are strongly held, principled views on both sides, is very welcome, but that intentionally filibustering to prevent its passage is unworthy of this Parliament?

[Siân Berry]

I quite agree. It was courageous of the House to take on this issue, consider it and then vote. We put our names to positions that we came to with some courage, I think, because we all knew there were people who felt very strongly the opposite way, whichever way we voted.

On the principle—on this and any other issue where a similar process takes place and the House of Commons has the courage to come to a decision—I agree that it is not for the House of Lords to stop that using these kinds of methods. I agree with the petition writers, who want the Government

“to ensure that when bills are supported by MPs & the public, they have the time to complete all their stages in Parliament.”

That is 114,000-plus signatories, alongside the 69% of people polled this year who believe that the debate on assisted dying should have continued until Parliament reached a conclusion.

I look forward to hearing from the Leader of the House about what can be done so that we can make the important private Members’ Bill process viable again in the future and restore the public’s faith in the health of democracy—I will not beat around the bush—and in the ability of this Parliament to make decisions on issues of such importance to so many of our constituents.

Business of the House

Siân Berry Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

First, I express my thanks to the No Tier Snooker Society and other organisations that support those with dementia. When I play snooker, it inevitably ends in tears. As we know, community support is vital for those suffering with dementia and other diseases. That is a matter not just for her constituency but for everyone across our country. I will ensure that the Health Secretary and the Culture Secretary hear about the case she raised and see what further can be done.

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

This week, it is the 14th birthday of Khaled, the son of the British-Egyptian former political prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Khaled will not see his father in person as Alaa was prevented from travelling to the UK by the Egyptian authorities in November. While I am sure the Leader of the House will wish Khaled a happy birthday, will he also assure me that the Government will help ensure that his father can travel here as soon as possible?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I am happy to join the whole House in wishing a Khaled a happy birthday. Let us hope that his family concerns are addressed sooner rather than later. I will ask Ministers for an update on what they are doing and what hope we can have for the family to be reunited.

Business of the House

Siân Berry Excerpts

Thursday 13th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I do agree. It is a debilitating and life-altering condition. As my hon. Friend said, our renewed women’s health strategy will set out our longer-term vision. Members from across the House will have concerns about this issue, so my hon. Friend may want to seek a Backbench Business or Adjournment debate.

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

Ella’s law—the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill—will now not get its Second Reading on 21 November, despite wide cross-party support. Will the Leader of the House ensure that the Government make time on Fridays or at other times for more of the most vital private Members’ Bills, such as Ella’s law, or could they adopt the measures into their own Bills—for example the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The House will know that we have had the allocation of 13 sitting Fridays, but if certain reasons were brought forward—if, for example, amendments might have been made to Bills in the Lords—the Government may have an open mind about what sitting Fridays might look like. I also think there is a debate to be had about how we deal with private Members’ Bills, if I am honest. I cannot comment on whether the measures are appropriate to be incorporated into Government legislation, but the hon. Member may wish to draw that to the attention of the appropriate Department.

Business of the House

Siân Berry Excerpts

Thursday 27th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

Order. There are over 20 Members on their feet, and we have around 20 minutes left, so please keep questions and answers short.

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

Yesterday, the Office for Students levied a wholly disproportionate fine on the University of Sussex after what looks like a flawed and wasteful investigation at a time when the higher education sector is in financial crisis. Could the Leader of the House ask the Education Secretary whether she will respond to concerns about why the OfS took so long to conduct its investigation, its behaviour, the costs it incurred and the ramifications of this very serious judgment?