Yet again a minister is on the broadcast round having to wibble until the PM actually comes out and says the obvious. Why does this keep happening so much?

I have a few thoughts on the Stakeholder State and the piece by Paul Ovenden. I disagree with the extent of emphasis on stakeholders, but the more dismissive engagement on this app misses that a Strong Stakeholderism does exist, and has placed particular constraints on a govt that lacks direction 🧵

Harriet just described herself as A Secret Barrister

Here is the Joint Statement on ECHR and Immigration by the 27 countries (led by Denmark and Italy) Worth noting focus on Art 3 and reference to third country partnerships

So because everything can be a ~ teachable moment ~ if you're nerdy enough, let's learn about Speaker Denison's rule-- a convention established in the nineteenth by (you guessed it) a Speaker of the Commons called John Denison.

EXC - I've seen a leaked policy document from Labour in opposition which sets out how to approach assisted dying. The document sets out how it could be introduced as a private member’s bill, suggesting that would still allow “heavy influence” for the government in the process

This is explosive. It shows a deliberate move by Labour to circumvent the pre legislative checks and policy work that a normal (govt) Bill would have to go through

So chosen because of the way it will prompt those online to say "actually, that is two words". qed.

Prince Albert refuses Assent to a Bill legalising abortion. Goes further than Baudouin and Henri did in Belgium and Luxembourg (they didn't personally give Assent but didn't prevent enactment) Huge assertion of royal power Shifts things re Charles and the Assisted Dying Bill

Simon Jenkins claims in the Guardian that it would be a 'democratic outrage' if the House of Lords were to block the Terminally Ill Adults Bill: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... That claim is constitutional nonsense, for the reasons I explain here: publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/06/20/w...

The claim about slow pace is fake news Commons Committee spent 12 hours on Clause 1 of the Bill. So far Lords has spent about 10 hours and normal rule is that Lords takes 150% of time of Commons So one would expect Clause 1 to take circa 18 hours in Lords

Normally the Lords take 50% longer than the Commons did. This bill had 12 days in the Commons and so should get 18 days in the Lords but Falconer has only allocated 4 days, that's his problem not that of the peers wanting to scrutinise

Measured and sensible suggested reform to Art 3 suggested by the Home Office "Degrading treatment" includes being slapped in the face by a police officer. Totally unacceptable behaviour but that should not be an absolute bar to deportation

"The majority said they felt such a deep burden." Ahead of the examination of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by committee in the House of Lords, Rev Canon Jonathan Lloyd talks about his experience of working as a priest in Canada - where 'assisted dying' is legal.

The Lords held a very thorough 5hr debate on the devolution implications of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill and the use of the Mental Capacity Act. Under Falconer's timetable they would have spent only 1/2hr on each. Worth remembering when accusations of filibustering are made

Obviously, all of this can be used to try and slow things down. Equally, this is a bill on a contentious and emotive topic, and given the Lords' role as revising chamber, it's also not surprising that there are a vast number of amendments.

Keir Starmer is so bad at politics he has started a leadership contest without actually starting the leadership contest.

This government is not even 18 months old and we are at "Operation Save Big Dog" stage He needs to go

We had a discussion a while ago as to why the (UK) government can't indefinitely prorogue Parliament. The US is illustrating why. The government needs Acts to raise taxes and authorise spending. /1

It's deeply unfortunate - but telling - that defenders of the ECHR say torture when they talk about Article 3, when it is actually so much more and allows arguments about anxiety to be made Yet to see anyone willing to defend fact a risk of slap on the face can block removal (Bouyid v Belgium)

On BBC2 Living Next to Putin, it was reported that Poland pushes back (without processing) asylum seekers who arrived from Belarus. Yet Donald Tusk remains a European darling. Why? (Cf the criticisms of the Tories for Rwanda)

I strongly encourage UK MPs and peers to look at what has happened in New Zealand since the introduction of assisted dying. Safeguards are rarely ever as strong as advocates suggest, and the “slippery slope” is a real risk writes Simon O'Connor, former chair of the NZ parliament's health committee

It’s not too late: the House of Lords can still protect disabled people from this dangerous assisted dying bill | Lucy Webster

Assisted dying bill is a ‘licence to kill’, Theresa May says

It is “constitutionally appropriate” for the House of Lords to scrutinise the assisted dying bill “and, if so minded, vote to amend or reject it”, the Lords constitution committee says in a report issued ahead of today’s second reading debate. rozenberg.substack.com/p/lords-free...

Excellent post pointing out the criticisms of the Constitution and Delegated Powers Committee

Stephen Tierney: The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – a dangerous licence for executive law-making ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/09/12/s...

There's a lot that looks sensible in the No 10 reshuffle but I can't help thinking that Starmer getting rid of aides because of dleivery issues is a bit like blaming the Ocado man because you forgot to order the chicken

The Guardian charges Farage of Trumpism but the Trump admin is still complying with the Torture Convention: for those who are at a real risk of torture in their country of origin, Trump is sending them to South Sudan.

I support assisted dying in principle... But legalising it under THESE circumstances... is voting to kill thousands of poor people, who can't afford decent end-of-life care. #AssistedDyingBill

I didn’t support the Assisted Dying Bill at Second Reading, a decision I reached after a great deal of thought. Since then, several reasonable safeguards have been rejected, which has only deepened my concerns about this Bill. I’ll be voting against at Third Reading today.

Allowing assisted dying while savagely cutting PIP is telling disabled people they're allowed to die with dignity but not to live with dignity

Strong statement from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. “We cannot support the Terminally Ill Adults Bill as it stands” www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default...

A devastating report The Bill is unsafe and unworkable

@rcpsych.bsky.social cannot support the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales in its current form and is once again urging MPs to look at our concerns ahead of the pivotal Commons Report stage debate and Third Reading. More here: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-fea...

6 Reasons To Oppose The Assisted Dying Bill: ❌Devaluing of Our Lives ❌Exacerbates Systemic Inequalities ❌Inadequate Health and Care Services ❌Conflicting NHS Cultures ❌Insufficient Safeguards ❌Poor Parliamentary Process Read more detail⬇️ www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/say-no-...

The bad news is that assisted suicide will harm the vulnerable and dehumanise people. But at least the government thinks it will save money for the NHS! So who can say whether it's good or not. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

📺 BASW has been lobbying MPs to extend legal protections for social workers in the assisted dying bill, ensuring parity with nurses and doctors. Thank you Danny Kruger MP for raising this issue in parliament and securing an assurance that social workers will now get these protections in law.

One thing about the disability benefits news, it makes me even more confident in my opposition to assisted dying, because yeah both parties see disabled people as a burden

The Canadian Federal Court rejected the Miller 2 test (as opposed to finding that it applied but was not met on the facts)

I decided to write something about some of the things being said in British parliamentary committee on assisted dying. open.substack.com/pub/mssineno...

ON THE BLOG: Why the French parliament tried to introduce PMQs @calixtebloquet.bsky.social and @ruxandrasrbn.bsky.social explain why French politicians decided to experiment with a French version of PMQs. This is the first of a 2-part series on PMQs in France.

Sir James Munby, former head of the Family Division of the High Court, has given his opinion on the supposedly improved Assisted Suicide Bill. His view: "it still falls lamentably short of providing adequate safeguards". transparencyproject.org.uk/assisted-dyi...

Sir James Munby (former president of the Family Division of the High Court) on the latest proposals to replace the High Court with a panel of experts transparencyproject.org.uk/assisted-dyi...

This is a guest post by Sir James Munby, and it follows on from earlier posts about the proposed Assisted Dying reforms here, here and here. In Assisted Dying: What Role for the Judge? More Thoughts, published on the Transparency Project website on 6... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=29356

Looking forward to more deep insights from Politico. "Wait, there were *two* presidents named Roosevelt?" "Not many people know that RFK Jr isn't the first in his family to enter politics." "His name was Lincoln? Really? Like the tunnel?"

Proponents really thought it would be a walk in the park Great that SW1 (mostly) saw it as the incredibly complex issue that it is

Of the 373 items of written evidence submitted to Kim Leadbeater’s #AssistedDying Bill committee, 79% are critical of the Bill and only 11% supportive. See independent analysis at link. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

🧵/ I agonised over whether to write this Sunday Times piece. Whipped-up emotion, hate & vitriol now dominate discussions of assisted dying on here - appallingly. We have to be able to converse in good faith - & concerns should not be dismissed as "noise". (1/n) www.thetimes.com/article/5188...

This is brilliantly helpful. 5 myths about mental capacity (relevant to the TIA / assisted dying bill) from Prof Alex Ruck Keene KC www.mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk/mental-capac...