Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Opposition Reasoned Amendment
165Ayes
327Noes
Defeated · majority 162 · Government won156 did not vote
648 Members · Aye 165 · No 327 · DNV 156 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 18 November 2025 to reject a Conservative reasoned amendment (Division 358) that sought to block the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill at Second Reading. The amendment was defeated by 327 votes to 165, allowing the Bill to proceed to further parliamentary scrutiny. The Bill repeals Part 2 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which attempted to offer immunity from prosecution to paramilitaries and others involved in Troubles-era killings and was widely rejected across Northern Ireland. In its place, the Bill creates a reformed Legacy Commission with strengthened governance, restores inquests that had been halted by the 2023 Act, introduces new inquisitorial proceedings for deaths that cannot go through the coroner system, and puts the cross-border Independent Commission on Information Retrieval on a statutory footing. The aim is to give families of the more than 3,500 people killed during the Troubles a genuine route to finding out how their relatives died. The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 313 Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs who voted backed the Bill. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, and the Democratic Unionist Party all voted for the amendment. Those supporting the amendment cited concerns about protections for veterans, the removal of immunity provisions, and the retrospective treatment of Interim Custody Orders. There were no recorded Conservative or Liberal Democrat votes against the amendment, and no Labour votes for it.
Voting Aye meant
Support blocking the Bill, expressing reservations about how it handles legacy issues including protections for veterans, the absence of immunity provisions, and the retrospective treatment of Interim Custody Orders.
Voting No meant
Support the Bill proceeding, backing the government's approach to replace the failed 2023 Act with a new framework that commands broader support in Northern Ireland and offers families a genuine path to answers without granting immunity to terrorists.
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
0
281
80
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
90
0
26
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
59
0
12
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
32
10
Independent
—
3
5
5
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
7
0
1
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
3
1
Plaid Cymru
—
0
2
2
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
2
0
Your Party
—
0
1
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
1
0
0
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
1
0
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
As Secretary of State, moved Second Reading. Defended the Bill as necessary replacement for the failed 2023 legacy Act; emphasised enhanced protections for veterans including protection from repeat investigations, remote evidence-giving, and anonymity; argued the Bill enables Irish Government co-operation and restores rule of law while offering no immunity.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (5,038 words) →
Moved reasoned amendment to reject Second Reading. Argued the Bill removes workable conditional immunity scheme, exposes veterans to vexatious prosecutions while paramilitaries escape justice, provides only illusory protections, and risks recruitment and morale; contended the 2023 Act was legally sound and should have been appealed rather than dropped.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,922 words) →
Welcomed intent to repeal the failed 2023 Act but argued the Bill does not go far enough on veteran protections; called for binding statutory safeguards including clearer presumption against repeated investigations, expanded duty on operational context, and enhanced parliamentary oversight before supporting Second Reading.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,974 words) →
As veteran and backbencher, supported the Bill; rejected immunity as dangerous and weakening justice; defended the legislation's veteran protections as meaningful; argued previous focus on armed forces rather than paramilitaries was disproportionate but this Bill corrects that balance.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,096 words) →
Strongly opposed the Bill as persecution of patriotic soldiers; argued the process itself is punishment; attacked government for double standard—de facto amnesty given to 650 IRA terrorists under Blair, while 300,000 soldiers now face relentless legal pursuit; called for honouring armed forces rather than pursuing them.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,060 words) →
Raised concern that the Bill's date range excludes the Omagh bombing (August 1998), the largest atrocity of the Troubles; pressed Secretary of State on whether dates should be extended and whether Omagh families will have recourse.Democratic Unionist Party · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,327 words) →
Chair of Northern Ireland Affairs Committee; welcomed the Bill's intent but highlighted that stakeholders felt 'listened to, not heard'; emphasised need for confidence-building; noted resourcing concerns for the new commission given expanded responsibilities including coronial cases.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,078 words) →
Raised concerns about Irish Government and Gardaí collusion in historical killings; pressed for assurance that justice will be delivered through the Bill; questioned whether Irish co-operation will be meaningful.Democratic Unionist Party · Voted aye · Read full speech (253 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0