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03 October 2025 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 8133 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Human rights , Health
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Will the assisted dying Bill reach the statute book?

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In the second part in a series tracking the passage of the Bill, Michael Zander KC reports on the current uncertainty

In brief

  • The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is progressing through the Lords, with debate coming directly after two highly critical reports from House of Lords committees.
  • Baroness Berger’s amendment that a select committee be set up to hear evidence from professional bodies’ was accepted.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill began its progress through the House of Lords with two all-day debates (10am to 4pm) on 12 and 19 September. Because of the great number of peers who had indicated their wish to contribute (191), speeches were limited to four minutes.

There were many speeches in favour of the Bill, many speeches against the Bill, and many speeches in favour of the Bill in principle but not in its present form. How this will turn out, when it eventually comes to counting votes on amendments

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Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

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A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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