“The Isle of Man's Tynwald passed assisted dying legislation in March 2025, making it the first parliament in the British Isles to do so.”

Media reportsNews reportApril 17, 2026Read the original

Background in coverage of the UK government declining to recommend Royal Assent for the Isle of Man bill.

Our verdict

True

Tynwald completed the Assisted Dying Bill on 25 March 2025, the first parliament in the British Isles to pass one; it still awaited Royal Assent in 2026.

What we found

The Legislative Council accepted the House of Keys' amendments on 25 March 2025, completing Tynwald's passage of Dr Alex Allinson's bill. In April 2026 the UK Ministry of Justice said it could not yet recommend Royal Assent. Jersey's later law received Royal Assent first, in July 2026, but the Isle of Man was the first parliament to pass such a bill. Our first version wrongly said it passed in 2024.

The evidence

1 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.

Contradict 0Support 1Background 1

Supports the claim
Tynwald passed the Assisted Dying Bill on 25 March 2025, the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to do so. [1]
Background
The UK government said it was unable to recommend Royal Assent without further safeguards. [2]

How we checked

We checked the claim against ITV News, Isle of Man Today. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.

Sources

[1]Isle of Man Today · Isle of Man makes history as assisted dying bill clears final hurdle
[2]ITV News · UK Government 'unable to recommend' Royal Assent for Isle of Man's assisted dying bill

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