A Bill to amend the Accessories and Abettors Act 1861 to provide that only a person who directly commits, or who makes a significant contribution to the commission of, an offence may be held criminally liable.
The bill would change the law so that only someone who directly commits a crime or who makes a significant contribution to its commission can be criminally liable. This narrows liability for people who previously could be charged as accessories or under broad joint-enterprise rules. In short, mere presence or minor involvement would not be enough for criminal liability.
The bill is currently at the Second Reading stage in the House of Commons and has not yet progressed to committee stage.
Generated 21 February 2026
The dissolution of Parliament took place on Thursday 30 May 2024. All business in the House of Commons and House of Lords has come to an end and this bill will make no further progress.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
