This was a lords amendment on the Victims and Courts Bill. The Victims and Courts Bill aims to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system, spelling out how victims should be treated and how the Victims’ Commissioner should work. Lords amendments proposed wide-ranging rights for victims (like free court transcripts, dedicated victim navigators, and a stronger Victim Contact Scheme) and extra duties on authorities, but the Commons has repeatedly disagreed with these changes, arguing they would be costly and burdensome. The bill is currently in the Lords, considering the Commons’ amendments and reasons.
•- Lords amendments sought major expansions of victims’ rights: free access to court transcripts within 14 days, regardless of evidence given; independent victim navigators for England and Wales (especially for victims of slavery or human trafficking); and a strengthened Victim Contact Scheme with funding duties for authorities.
•- Other Lords proposals included extending protections and information-sharing under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, publishing sentencing remarks online with anonymity protections, and measures to support victims of fraud, economic crime and online abuse, plus new victim-facing duties on services and restoration of rights.
•- The Commons consistently voted to disagree with Lords amendments, citing cost, practicality and potential overlap with existing protections; several amendments were defeated at Report Stage or in the Lords’ later amendments, and only a limited number of technical corrections were agreed.
•- There were significant technical amendments (notably to Clause 9) to keep the text aligned with the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, and some changes were withdrawn or amended through Committee and Third Reading stages.
The Commons voted 286 to 163 to disagree with Lords Amendment 3 to the Victims and Courts Bill. The Lords’ amendments would have widened victims’ rights, including extending the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme, publishing sentencing remarks online within 14 days, and tightening information-sharing safeguards with probation services. Two MPs rebelled by voting against their party whip.
Two MPs rebelled against their party whipLords amendments would widen victims' rightsProposals include online publication of sentencing remarksInformation-sharing safeguards for victims and probation services
AI-generated context — may contain errors.
Turnout by party
69%
Your Party
1/1 (100%)
Liberal Democrat
58/72 (81%)
Green Party
4/5 (80%)
Plaid Cymru
3/4 (75%)
Conservative
85/114 (75%)
Labour (Co-op)
282/401 (70%)
Independent
8/13 (62%)
Democratic Unionist Party
3/5 (60%)
What happens next?
The Lords amendment result is sent back to the other House for consideration.
Current stage: Consideration of Commons amendments and / or reasons
