Crime and Policing Bill Report Stage: New Clause 88

Parliament rejected a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill on 18 June 2025 that would have introduced personal criminal liability for water company executives responsible for sewage pollution. The vote was defeated by 313 votes to 178, with the government opposing the measure. The amendment, New Clause 88, was tabled by Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove, and would have created a mechanism to hold water company executives personally accountable in criminal law for sewage dumped in rivers and on beaches. The government argued that the Water (Special Measures) Act, which received Royal Assent earlier in 2025, had already strengthened the regulatory framework sufficiently by introducing automatic penalties on polluters and banning bonuses for water company executives who fail to meet adequate standards. The vote divided sharply along party lines, with all 307 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backing the government's position and opposing the amendment. The Liberal Democrats provided the largest bloc of support, with 62 of their MPs voting in favour. The Conservatives, despite having been criticised by Lisa Smart for allowing water companies to operate "with impunity" under the previous government, voted 93 to nil in favour of the amendment. Reform UK, the Greens, and Plaid Cymru also voted in favour. One Liberal Democrat MP had no vote recorded.