More delay for Isle of Man assisted dying after UK Government requests changes

Assisted dying is likely to be further delayed in coming to the Isle of Man as changes have been requested to legislation which was passed by its parliament more than a year ago.

The Isle of Man Tynwald became the first parliament in the British Isles to pass assisted dying legislation, approving their Bill in March 2025.

As a Crown Dependency, for primary legislation on the Isle of Man to get royal assent and therefore formally become law, the Lord Chancellor – currently David Lammy – is required to make a recommendation that it should do so.

On Friday, the Isle of Man politician who brought the Bill said he was “disappointed that the Lord Chancellor has decided not to recommend the Bill for royal assent at this time”.

Alex Allinson said: “The issues raised have been in relation to the improved safeguards against coercion, independent monitoring of the assisted dying process and the assessment of individual mental capacity.

“Whilst these issues are clearly addressed in the Bill, it is the UK Government’s view that they should be set out directly in primary legislation to ensure that this fully complies with all aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights and is not liable to legal challenge.”

The latest development comes exactly a week ahead of the expected fall of proposed assisted dying legislation at Westminster.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – which proposed allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel – is scheduled for its last sitting of this Parliament next Friday.

It is expected to fall at the end of that day’s debate in the House of Lords, having run out of time to pass in this session of Parliament amid a record number of amendments having been tabled by peers.

It is the furthest any such legislation on assisted dying has progressed through Parliament at Westminster, and supporters of a law change have accused unelected peers of blocking a Bill which had been voted through by MPs in the Commons.

The accusation has been rejected by those in the Lords who insist they have simply been doing their job of scrutinising legislation which they argue is not safe in its current form.

Elsewhere in the British Isles, the States Assembly in Jersey, which is also a Crown Dependency and so will need to await royal assent – passed its draft Assisted Dying Law in February this year.

A freedom of information request by the Press Association late last year showed that between March when the Isle of Man Bill was passed and early December, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) had written to the island’s Government about the legislation 12 times.

Mr Allinson said he aims to bring amendments to Tynwald in the coming months to address the requested changes, in the hope the Bill can be sent back to the MoJ before July for royal assent.

He added: “I will be working with all Tynwald Members over the coming weeks to bring forward a series of amendments to the Bill which will strengthen the existing safeguards and ensure that the legislation we have passed best suits the needs of our Island and allows for genuine choice and autonomy for our people.”

It is thought the implementation period for an assisted dying service on the Isle of Man could be up to two years after royal assent.

The MoJ has been contacted for comment.