Crime and Policing Bill Report Stage: Amendment 160
89Ayes
428Noes
Defeated · majority 339 · Government won130 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 89 · No 428 · DNV 130 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 17 June 2025 on Amendment 160 to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled by the Liberal Democrats. The amendment would have barred police from using live facial recognition technology when imposing conditions on protests and public assemblies under sections 12 or 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, unless Parliament had first approved a specific code of practice governing its use in public spaces. The amendment was defeated by 428 votes to 89. The practical effect of the amendment, had it passed, would have been to require parliamentary sign-off on a new code of practice before police could lawfully deploy live facial recognition at protests. As it stands, no such requirement exists, and the defeat leaves the current framework in place. The vote directly affects civil liberties at public gatherings, with particular implications for people of colour and women, whom supporters of the amendment argue face disproportionately higher misidentification rates from the technology. The Liberal Democrats voted solidly for the amendment, providing 68 of the 89 ayes. Smaller parties including the Greens, Plaid Cymru, the Democratic Unionist Party, and four Reform UK MPs also voted in favour. Labour, including Labour and Co-operative MPs, voted overwhelmingly against, supplying the bulk of the 428 noes, joined by 100 Conservative MPs. Only one Labour MP and one Conservative MP voted for the amendment. The government opposed the measure, with the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention indicating existing frameworks were sufficient.
Voting Aye meant
Support requiring parliamentary approval of a code of practice before police can deploy live facial recognition at protests, citing privacy rights and bias concerns — particularly the technology's higher error rates for people of colour and women.
Voting No meant
Oppose this restriction, backing the government's position that existing frameworks are sufficient and that imposing this additional parliamentary hurdle is unnecessary.
Each row is one party. The stacked bar gives the within-party split of Aye / No / Absent; the columns on the right give the raw counts. The whip column shows the published party position — “Free vote” means the whip was formally removed for this division.
Party
Whip
Aye / No / Abs
Aye
No
Abs
Labour Party
Whipped No
1
291
69
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
1
100
15
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
67
0
4
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
28
14
Independent
—
5
3
5
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
4
3
1
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
1
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Government minister defending the Bill's measures to tackle crime, antisocial behaviour, and violence against women and girls; arguing the Bill provides essential powers to address gaps in law and protect vulnerable people including emergency workers and children.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (6,557 words) →
Shadow minister welcoming much of the Bill but arguing for stronger measures including increasing knife crime sentencing to 14 years, implementing driving licence penalty points for fly-tippers, and strengthening respect orders with enhanced sanctions.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,618 words) →
Backbencher supporting mandatory reporting but arguing the Bill does not go far enough; specifically advocating for criminal sanctions for non-compliance, extending the duty to all positions of trust as defined in Sexual Offences Act 2003, and broadening triggers to include recognised indicators of abuse.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,957 words) →
Warning against treating the Crime Bill as a 'Christmas tree' for unrelated amendments, particularly those on abortion law, which risk fracturing cross-party consensus and require separate, fuller debate.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (532 words) →
Raising concerns about police funding adequacy, particularly questioning whether national insurance cost increases are properly funded and whether neighbourhood policing numbers represent genuine increases or redeployments.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,375 words) →
Supporting the Bill's measures on neighbourhood policing, begging, and homelessness exploitation; praising new police officers in constituency and defending government record on police staffing.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (208 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0