Politics
Jewish peer slams ‘deeply problematic’ assisted dying debate which could force him to break Shabbat
As the high-profile bill is not government legislation, it is being debated on Fridays
November 14, 2025 12:13
As the high-profile bill is not government legislation, it is being debated on Fridays
November 14, 2025 12:13A Conservative Jewish peer has criticised the “deeply problematic” scheduling of the debate around the assisted dying bill, as it could force him and other observant lords to break Shabbat
The legislation, known officially as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, passed its third reading in the House of Commons in June this year and is currently going through its committee stage in the House of Lords – a detailed line-by-line examination of the proposed legislation.
However, as the bill is not a government-sponsored legislation – despite the prime minister supporting the measures in it, the government maintains a neutral stance on it and other cabinet ministers like Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood are opposed to the bill.
Instead, it was introduced as Private Members’ Bill (PMB) by Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater in the House of Commons. As such, like in the Commons, PMBs are debated on Fridays.
Ahead of the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Lords, Conservative Peer Lord Polak highlights the difficulties faced by observant Jews on sitting Fridays.
— Lorin Bell-Cross (@lorintbc) November 14, 2025
"Shabbat begins today at 15:54, on December the 5th, at 15:35 and on December the 12th, at 15:33".
"By 15:54 this… pic.twitter.com/uF1UeCd525
However, in the Lords today, Conservative Friends of Israel Honourary President Lord Polak warned that observant Jews will be limited in their ability to intervene in the debate on the landmark legislation that, if passed, will give terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the right to end their own lives.
He told peers: “I want to place on record that, as a modern Orthodox Jewish member of your lordships’ House, sitting on Fridays in the winter is deeply problematic.
"Shabbat begins today at 3.54pm , on December 5 at 3.35pm and on December 12 at 3.33pm."
Polak continued: “Your lordships will know by 3.54pm this afternoon, I and others will need to be ready for Shabbat, and I will be in synagogue and keeping with my tradition as the House will follow its tradition.
"There will be times, therefore, over the coming weeks that I and some others will be absent, and I hope that does not occur when I have an amendment in my name to speak to.”
Speaking ahead of the official start of the committee stage, Polak said he felt it was “really important to place this matter on the record as we begin committee stage, which will take place only on Fridays.”
Despite this, he paid tribute to government whip Lord Kennedy, whom he said had shown “willingness to listen and to be flexible” in earlier stages of the Bill.
In a statement to the Lords on Thursday, Kennedy said that he expected “the House to rise at a convenient point around 3pm as per the usual conventions of the House”.
His intervention comes as Jewish peers are split on their support for the legislation.
Baroness Berger, the former Labour MP, and Lord Carlile, the government’s former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, are both high-profile opponents of the bill.
Meanwhile, Lord Dubs, the Labour Peer and former Kindertransportee, is a longstanding supporter of a change to the law on assisted dying.
“I've supported the concept of this or similar bills for many years, and I hope it will get through”, he told the JC in February.
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