Assisted dying backers could use archaic procedure to bypass ‘undemocratic’ block by peers

Exclusive: MPs backing bill to use ‘nuclear option’ of 1911 Parliament Act if it continues to be blocked by Lords

Supporters of assisted dying will seek to force through the bill using an archaic parliamentary procedure if it continues to be blocked by the Lords.

The high stakes move – described by some backers as the “nuclear option” – would be the first time the 1911 Parliament Act has been invoked for a private member’s bill.

The acknowledgment by supporters that they are now preparing to use the act is a sign of growing desperation – they have accepted that without a radical change of approach the bill will fall because of the delays it is experiencing in the House of Lords.

If the bill does not conclude by the end of the parliamentary session in May, it will automatically fail despite having been passed by the Commons.