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

**What happened:** The House of Commons voted 292 to 158 on 20 April 2026 to insist on its disagreement with Lords amendments 359 and 439 to the Crime and Policing Bill, while proposing alternative amendments in lieu. This was one of four outstanding points of disagreement between the two chambers resolved in the same sitting, part of the parliamentary process known as "ping-pong," in which a bill travels back and forth between the Commons and the Lords until both houses agree on its final text. **Why it matters:** Lords amendments 359 and 439, which the Commons rejected in favour of its own substitute wording, concerned the proscription of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Lords had pushed for the IRGC to be formally proscribed as a terrorist organisation under the bill. The government's position, reflected in the amendments it proposed in lieu, did not include that proscription, though the minister indicated that existing sanctions already restrict hundreds of Iranian individuals from entering the country or holding assets in the UK. The practical effect is that the IRGC will not be proscribed through this legislation, leaving that decision to the government's discretion rather than enshrining it in statute. **The politics:** The vote divided along clear party lines. All 293 Labour and Labour Co-operative members present voted with the government; all Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Democratic Unionists, Greens, Plaid Cymru members and the Traditional Unionist Voice representative voted against. The opposition's case, led by Conservative shadow minister Matt Vickers, was that the deteriorating security situation, including media-reported tracking of more than 20 Iran-backed plots in 2025 alone, made immediate proscription necessary. The government's response was that legislation must be properly prepared before such a step is taken. The vote formed part of a broader conclusion to the Crime and Policing Bill's passage after 14 months of parliamentary scrutiny.