Crime and Policing Bill Report Stage: New Clause 88

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 18 June 2025 on New Clause 88, a proposed addition to the Crime and Policing Bill at Report Stage (the stage where the full House considers detailed amendments). The clause was defeated by 313 votes to 178, meaning it will not be added to the Bill.

Why it matters: The defeat means the Crime and Policing Bill continues in its original form without the provisions that New Clause 88 would have introduced. The clause represented an alternative approach to policing or criminal justice reform, and its rejection keeps the government's preferred framework intact. Whatever changes New Clause 88 sought to advance, whether to police powers, oversight, accountability, or sentencing, will not form part of the legislation as it progresses through Parliament.

The politics: The vote divided sharply along government-versus-opposition lines. Labour MPs, including those sitting under the Labour and Co-operative Party label, voted unanimously against the clause, providing the government's majority. The opposition coalesced broadly in favour, with Conservatives (93 ayes), Liberal Democrats (62 ayes), Reform UK (7), Greens (4), Plaid Cymru (3), and several independents supporting the new clause. One Liberal Democrat MP broke with their party to vote No, the only notable departure from otherwise disciplined voting. The result reflects the government's ability to defeat opposition amendments on the Bill by a comfortable margin of 135 votes.