Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen have joined a group of actors and public figures urging members of the House of Lords to back the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill as peers prepare for a decisive debate and vote.
The letter, published with the support of campaign group Dignity in Dying, was signed by more than a dozen well‑known figures including Esther Rantzen, Joanna Lumley, Prue Leith, Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, John Nettles, Jasper Conran, Jonathan Dimbleby and Zoe Wanamaker. It asks peers to "show the world Britain can lead with empathy and courage" and to give terminally ill people "choice and control over their own end of life."
Under the terms of the Private Members' Bill, which was carried in the House of Commons in June by a majority of 23, adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live could seek assisted dying. The proposal requires the agreement of two doctors to confirm that the request is voluntary and that eligibility criteria are met, and an application would then need High Court approval before assistance could be provided.
Supporters of the bill say it would give people facing terminal illness the option to avoid unbearable suffering and to die with dignity. The letter notes that many signatories have "witnessed people we love suffer beyond imagining as they died" and describes the reform as "deeply popular and carefully considered," citing polling that finds around three‑quarters of the British public in favour.
The campaign to change the law has been led publicly by Dame Esther Rantzen, who has terminal lung cancer, and points to cases of Britons travelling to clinics such as Dignitas in Switzerland because assisting someone to die remains a criminal offence in the UK. Supporters include groups within the medical profession who say safeguards can be built into legislation.
Opponents warned of the risks at the Commons stage and have reiterated concerns in advance of the Lords debate. Critics say the change could create pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives if they feel they are a burden, arguing that safeguards may not be sufficient to prevent coercion or abuse. Tory MP Danny Kruger, whose mother is Dame Prue, said support for the bill was "ebbing away fast" and called on the Lords to scrutinise the measure closely and consider amendments or rejection.
Assisted‑dying legislation has a contested history in the UK. A similar bill was defeated in the House of Commons in 2015, and the House of Lords last debated assisted dying in 2021 before a measure ran out of time at committee stage. The current bill was introduced as a Private Members' Bill sponsored by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and cleared the Commons in June.
Peers are expected to debate the bill on Friday, with the outcome likely to determine whether the proposal advances to further stages in the Lords. Lawmakers who support the bill say the debate will test whether Parliament will update legislation they say is out of step with public opinion and medical practice; opponents say the Lords have a duty to protect vulnerable people and to ensure any change does not create unintended harms.
If the bill proceeds, it would mark a significant shift in UK policy on assisted dying, replacing current criminal prohibitions on assisting an adult to die with a regulated process for a narrowly defined group of terminally ill adults. The debate in the House of Lords will be watched closely by campaigners on both sides and by families affected by terminal illness.