Victims and Courts Bill Report Stage: New Clause 7

What happened: The House of Commons voted on New Clause 7 to the Victims and Courts Bill at Report Stage on 27 October 2025. The clause was defeated by 323 votes to 165. The Bill itself covers a wide range of reforms to how victims are treated within the criminal justice system, including measures on parental responsibility for convicted rapists, non-disclosure agreements, attendance at sentencing hearings, and support services for survivors of domestic abuse and child sexual abuse.

Why it matters: The Victims and Courts Bill is a substantial piece of legislation aimed at reshaping how the justice system engages with victims and survivors. Measures progressing through the Bill include restricting parental responsibility for those convicted of rape where the child was conceived as a result of that crime, voiding non-disclosure agreements that prevent victims from speaking out, and compelling convicted offenders to attend their sentencing hearings. New Clause 7, which was defeated, proposed additions that opposition and crossbench Members supported but which the Government resisted, arguing the existing Bill already addressed the relevant concerns or that statutory changes were not the appropriate mechanism.

The politics: The vote split almost entirely along government and opposition lines. All 319 Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party members who voted backed the No lobby, while Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and the smaller parties including Plaid Cymru, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, the Green Party, and the Ulster Unionist Party voted in favour of the clause. Seven independents also backed it. There were no Conservative or Liberal Democrat No votes and no Labour Aye votes, making this a clean government-versus-opposition division. The broader debate was notably collaborative in tone, with Members across parties praising individual contributions, particularly that of the Member for Bolsover regarding the parental responsibility provisions.