Despite MPs backing proposals last year to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, the plan did not become law. The bill failed to complete its passage through the House of Lords – not because peers voted against it, but because a relatively small number proposed an unprecedentedly large list of amendments. As a result, the bill ran out of time.

But this is unlikely to be the end of the story for assisted dying. MPs who support the change have called for the bill to be brought back in the new parliamentary session, which begins on May 13. They have reportedly been joined in their demands by almost 200 peers in the Lords.

Their strategy will be for MPs to pass the bill again in an identical form. If they do so, it could become law even if the Lords fails to pass it. This is possible because of special powers to override the Lords under what are known as the Parliament Acts. But achieving this will not be straightforward – to succeed, supporters will need to overcome four key challenges.

Challenge 1: Winning the lottery

The first challenge will be for a supporter to be drawn high in the private members’ bill ballot. At the start of each session, 20 MPs are selected from this random draw to receive priority access to the very limited Commons time available for private members’ bills. Those drawn highest pick their slots first, giving them the best chance of success.

A supporter would need to be drawn among the top seven places to guarantee a full day’s debate (and therefore a vote) on their bill – a key........

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