Labour Pledges Euthanasia Referendum If Returned to Power

Robert Abela's Labour Party has pledged to hold a referendum on voluntary assisted dying if returned to power. The promise appears in a 263-page manifesto containing more than 1,000 individual pledges, organised around a central theme of quality of life. One thousand pledges.

The manifesto does not detail referendum conditions, question wording, or follow-on legislation — though the brief does not explicitly confirm those omissions, and the party has not elaborated publicly on the mechanics. Labour chose to put voluntary assisted dying to a public vote rather than legislate for it directly, a choice the party has not explained in detailed public statements beyond the manifesto text.

Labour has framed its programme around the idea that government performance should be judged on citizens' lived experience — including healthcare, wellbeing, and end-of-life care — rather than economic metrics alone. The referendum pledge sits within that framing, with the party grouping end-of-life choice alongside healthcare access and social support. The next general election date has not been set, and the party has not outlined a timetable for the referendum commitment.