Sequels to horror films can be a mixed bag. Some become classics in their own right, others fall into the category of things better left forgotten. Think Leprechaun: Origins. The House of Commons was back this week debating assisted suicide again. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the chamber, here we were, the same arguments in favour, the same cast, the same lingering air of horror. The quality was not good: this was Children of the Corn II territory.

This was partly due to the Bill’s new sponsor. It is quite hard to imagine a downgrade from the Grim Leadbeater, but Dignity in Dying (the quondam Voluntary Euthanasia Society) had found it in the form of Lauren Edwards. Edwards gave a wooden introduction to the debate, skating over, as you might expect, the problems of expert opposition to the bill, and instead trying to frame it as a simple issue of Lords versus Commons, Peers vs People. The mood in the Commons, however, felt restive, irritable. Her speech immediately drew repeated interventions, to which her answers were either monosyllabic or downright peevish. 

The redoubtable Dame Meg Hillier sniffed out the dirty tricks of the bill’s sponsor. The primacy of the Commons has been one of the reasons why those in favour have insisted it has to be reintroduced in the same form as last time, as it was accepted (just) by the lower house but fell during scrutiny from the House of Peers. However, there was a problem. If the Commons were so important, presumably Edwards would be accepting amendments from it, asked Dame Meg. Obviously the answer came back ‘no’. If the Commons amended the........

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