Victims and Courts Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 5

What was this vote about?

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(notably to Clause 9) to keep the text aligned with the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, and some changes were withdrawn or amended through Committee and Third Reading stages.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 result

454 of 650 eligible MPs voted (70% turnout)

How each party voted

Who rebelled?(3 MPs)

Why it matters

MPs backed a motion to reject Lords Amendment 5 to the Victims and Courts Bill in a 292–162 division. Three MPs rebelled against their party whip in the vote. Lords Amendment 5 would have added measures on victims’ rights and transparency, including extending the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme, online publication of sentencing remarks, and tighter information-sharing rules.

AI-generated context — may contain errors.

Turnout by party

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