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The Commons has been warned the 'consequences of what may happen this week go much further'

Parliament has been warned not to take an "extraordinary risk" ahead of a vote on the assisted suicide Bill today.

The Bill, tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, cleared the Commons in the previous Parliament but stalled in the House of Lords after peers tabled more than 1,200 amendments.

An identical Bill has been reintroduced this Parliament by fellow Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who has asked the House of Lords to "finish the job".

This opens up the possibility of rarely-used powers of the Parliament Act to bypass the Lords entirely.

If two identical Bills are passed by the Commons in two successive parliamentary sessions, the Lords cannot halt their progress, a power last used in 2004 to push through a ban on fox hunting.

Now, Labour MP Gareth Snell, who voted in favour of the Bill, and Meg Hillier, who voted against, have warned the Commons against invoking the powers fearing a "constitutional showdown".

In a letter, they wrote: "Our primacy as the elected house is more than a right to enforce our will; it is a responsibility to exercise our power with the greatest of care."

It continued: "This is an extraordinary risk for us to take. We know that the colleagues who have brought the Bill forward did so in good faith.

"They have sought to start a conversation many feel is overdue about an issue that is manifestly of interest to the public.

"However, the consequences of what may happen this week go much further.

"We both want the House of Lords to fulfil its duties, but bringing back an identical Bill devoid of the previously agreed amendments sets up a constitutional showdown through an issue which deserves much more thoughtful consideration."

But in a separate letter in support of the Bill, Labour MP Sarah Champion and Conservative MP Kit Malthouse said the powers of the Parliament Act would only be used if the Lords continued to block the will of the Commons.

The pair argued the Act was "one of the foundations of our democracy" and was necessary to ensure "the unelected Lords cannot repeatedly block legislation passed by the elected house".

Ms Leadbeater's iteration of the Bill cleared the Commons with a majority of 23 and both sides of the argument expect the vote on Ms Edwards' identical Bill to be on a knife-edge.

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MPs believe it may come down to who shows up on Friday, a day usually dedicated to constituency time outside of Westminster.

Many politicians expressed disappointment at how a vote on a life-or-death Bill may come down to who decides to turn up.

"I can't tell someone not to go to their sister's wedding," one MP urging backers of the Bill to vote told the BBC.

Supporters have insisted that even if the Bill does not pass, there would be another attempt to legalise assisted suicide as soon as possible, according to the broadcaster.

Debate on the Bill starts at 9.30 tomorrow, with a vote expected before 14.30pm.

The Government has officially remained neutral on the issue of assisted suicide - though Sir Keir Starmer promised Dame Esther Rantzen that the Government would provide parliamentary time for a debate on it before the 2024 election.

A poll published before the vote showed 68 per cent of Britons agreed that any consideration of legalising assisted suicide should be halted the medical royal colleges confirm any legislation would be safe.

Nearly three in four (73 per cent) said MPs should reject assisted suicide laws if they posed an "unacceptable" risk to vulnerable people.

Just 14 per cent disagreed, while the number of those in agreement rose to 80 per cent among people aged 65 and above.

"With palliative and social care in crisis, introducing assisted suicide would be a disaster," campaign group Right to Life warned last night.

"MPs should listen to the PM and the public - and vote NO tomorrow."