Sentencing Bill Committee: Amendment 24

What happened: The House of Commons voted on Amendment 24 to the Sentencing Bill at committee stage on 21 October 2025. The amendment, which proposed changes to criminal sentencing guidelines or procedures in a direction broadly associated with reform and rehabilitation rather than punitive approaches, was defeated by 307 votes to 182.

Why it matters: The defeat of Amendment 24 means the Sentencing Bill continues on its current trajectory without the modifications this amendment sought to introduce. The vote represents a decision by Parliament to maintain the government's preferred approach to sentencing rather than incorporating changes that supporters argued would have moved the framework toward greater rehabilitation. The outcome directly affects how courts will approach sentencing decisions, with implications for offenders, victims, and the prison and probation systems.

The politics: The vote produced a striking cross-party coalition in favour of the amendment, with Conservatives (90 ayes), Liberal Democrats (65 ayes), the Democratic Unionist Party (5 ayes), Plaid Cymru (4 ayes), Reform UK (4 ayes), Greens (3 ayes), and a number of independents all voting in support. Labour overwhelmingly opposed it, with 279 Labour MPs and 26 Labour and Co-operative MPs voting no, and only a single Labour MP breaking ranks to back the amendment. This placed the government in the unusual position of being opposed by parties spanning from the Greens and Plaid Cymru on the left to Reform UK and the Conservatives on the right, yet prevailing comfortably on the strength of its parliamentary majority.