Crime and Policing Bill: Motion relating to Lords Reason 342B

**What happened:** On 20 April 2026, the House of Commons voted 294 to 61 to insist on its disagreement with Lords Amendment 342 relating to the Crime and Policing Bill, while simultaneously proposing new amendments (a) and (b) in lieu of the Lords' original amendment. This motion was part of a series of votes on the same day as the Bill moved through the final stages of parliamentary ping-pong (the process by which the two Houses exchange amendments until they reach agreement). The specific division voted on here concerned Lords Reason 342B, the Lords' justification for maintaining their position on Amendment 342, which related to youth diversion orders. **Why it matters:** Amendment 342 and its successors concern the conditions attached to youth diversion orders, specifically whether police and other agencies should be legally required to consult with a defined range of organisations before applying for such an order. The Lords pushed for a mandatory duty to consult; the Government's position, reflected in the amendments it proposed in lieu, was that statutory guidance could direct police to consider such consultations without creating a hard legal obligation. In practical terms, this distinction matters for how diversion away from prosecution is handled for young people, and whether organisations such as youth services or social care bodies have a guaranteed role in the process or only an advisory one. **The politics:** Labour MPs voted unanimously in favour, providing the entire Aye majority, while Liberal Democrats (56 votes), the Greens (4) and Plaid Cymru (3) voted against, reflecting their support for the Lords' more stringent approach. Notably, the Conservatives did not vote at all, with all 116 of their MPs absent, as was the entire SNP group. This was one of four outstanding disputes with the Lords resolved on 20 April, and the Government framed it as the final stage of a 14-month legislative process in which the Commons had already accepted the large majority of Lords changes.