Crime and Policing Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 6

What happened: On 14 April 2026, MPs voted by 299 to 169 to reject Lords Amendment 6 to the Crime and Policing Bill. The Lords had passed this amendment to strengthen enforcement powers against fly-tipping, but the government opposed it and moved a motion to disagree. With Labour MPs voting solidly in favour of rejection, the government's position carried comfortably.

Why it matters: Fly-tipping is a widespread problem that imposes significant costs on landowners, local authorities and taxpayers. The Lords amendment would have introduced tougher measures to tackle illegal waste dumping, with particular relevance to rural communities and private landowners who often bear the clean-up costs. By voting down the Lords amendment, the House has declined to give enforcement agencies and affected communities the additional legal tools the Lords considered necessary. The government has not, at this stage, brought forward an alternative measure in lieu of the Lords amendment, leaving the existing legislative framework in place.

The politics: The vote split almost entirely along party lines. All 293 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs present voted to reject the amendment, while Conservatives (89), Liberal Democrats (61), Reform UK (3) and smaller parties including the DUP, Plaid Cymru and Traditional Unionist Voice all voted to keep it. Three Green MPs backed the government's position. Conservative spokesperson Matt Vickers explicitly criticised the government for rejecting fly-tipping amendments, noting cross-party recognition that more needs to be done on the issue. This vote was one of several on 14 April in which the government used its Commons majority to overturn Lords changes to what ministers have described as the largest criminal justice bill in a generation.