A Bill to Make provision about the experience of victims within the criminal justice system; about the functions of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses; and about procedure and the administration of criminal justice.
House of Commons
Shabana MahmoodLabour (Co-op)
22 April 2026
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Victims and Courts Bill aims to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system by expanding their rights and access to information, and by setting out duties on authorities and the courts. It covers victims’ rights in court, supports for victims (including independent navigators and a wider Victim Contact Scheme), and rules around evidence, sentencing information and costs. The bill has moved through the Commons and Lords with substantial amendments from the Lords, which the Commons then challenged, leading to further negotiations in April 2026 before final passage and expected assent.
The bill began in the Commons, moved to the Lords where numerous victim-protection amendments were added, and then the Commons repeatedly disagreed with those amendments in March 2026. In April 2026 the Lords and Commons refined the provisions further, notably around private prosecutions and costs orders (Clause 12) with in-lieu amendments. The bill continued toward final passage, with Royal Assent expected in late April 2026.
Votes on Lords amendments in the Commons showed cross-party disagreement over the Lords’ tougher victim-rights provisions. Labour and other opposition MPs generally backed stronger protections, while Conservative MPs often opposed or sought to limit those amendments. In several divisions, the Commons voted to disagree with Lords amendments, reflecting a clash over resource implications and legal certainty, though the spectrum of positions across parties was not strictly uniform.
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Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.
Based on 10 recorded votes • Sorted by % Aye
Further consideration of outstanding issues took place in the House of Lords on Thursday 23 April.
What happens next?
Both Houses have agreed on the text of the bill which now waits for the final stage of Royal Assent when the bill becomes an Act of Parliament (law).
A date for Royal Assent is yet to be scheduled.
This Lords amendment paper concerns Clause 12 of the Victims and Courts Bill, where the Lords want to leave out Clause 12 but propose in lieu amendments 4B and 4C requiring impact assessments and responses before certain regulations affecting private prosecutions, charitable groups and access to justice. The Commons disagree with 4B and 4C and propose their own amendment in lieu, 4D, requiring the Lord Chancellor to consult the Law Society, the General Council of the Bar, and others and to publish an impact assessment for regulations relating to costs orders under section 17. Baroness Levitt is to move that the Lords do not insist on 4B/4C and instead agree with the Commons in their amendment 4D in lieu.
Baroness Levitt moves to drop the Lords’ amendments 4B and 4C to Clause 12 of the Victims and Courts Bill and to accept the Commons’ Amendment 4D instead, in a move to align with the Commons’ version. This is a procedural step to replace the Lords’ amendments with the Commons’ proposed amendment.
The Lords propose in-lieu amendments to Clause 12 of the Victims and Courts Bill (4B/4C) requiring impact assessments and changes to regulations affecting private prosecutions. The Commons disagree with those amendments and instead propose their own in-lieu amendment (4D) demanding consultation with the Law Society, the Bar, and others, plus an impact assessment before the relevant costs-order regulations are made. The document records ongoing cross-House disagreement over how Clause 12 should regulate private prosecutions and costs orders.
