Crime and Policing Bill: Motion relating Lords Reasons 359B and 439B

MPs voted on 20 April 2026 to back the government's compromise amendments in the final stages of the Crime and Policing Bill, overriding Lords amendments on four remaining areas of dispute: fly-tipping enforcement, youth diversion orders, antisocial behaviour fixed penalty notices, and public order. The motion passed by 292 ayes to 158 noes. The vote cleared the final legislative hurdle, and the bill subsequently became law. The four contested issues all turned on the same underlying question: whether statutory guidance (advice that bodies must have regard to but are not legally compelled to follow) is a sufficient substitute for hard statutory duties (legal requirements that can be enforced in court). The Lords had sought mandatory consultation before youth diversion orders are issued, stricter controls on enforcement agencies using fixed penalty notices as a revenue source, and firmer duties on fly-tipping enforcement. The government replaced each of those requirements with amended statutory guidance provisions, arguing they offered sufficient reassurance without unnecessarily constraining operational flexibility. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 293 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs present voted aye, with no defections recorded. All 91 Conservative MPs who voted went through the no lobby, joined by all 55 Liberal Democrats, four Democratic Unionist Party members, four Green MPs, three Plaid Cymru MPs, one Traditional Unionist Voice MP, and two independents. One independent voted with the government. The bill had been through an extended back-and-forth between the Commons and the Lords, with 19 points of contention at the previous week's stage reduced to four by the time this vote was held.