Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Carry-over (Motion)
279Ayes
176Noes
Carried · majority 103 · Government won191 did not vote
646 Members · Aye 279 · No 176 · DNV 191 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
MPs voted on 27 April 2026 to carry over the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill into the next parliamentary session, ensuring the legislation could continue its progress rather than lapse at the end of the current session. The motion passed by 279 votes to 176. Without this procedural step, the bill would have fallen and its provisions would have needed to be reintroduced from scratch in a new session. The bill, introduced in October 2025, seeks to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. It would abolish the existing Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery and replace it with a reformed Legacy Commission, restore Troubles-related inquests that were halted by the 2023 Act, and create new inquisitorial proceedings for deaths that cannot proceed through the coroner system. The carry-over vote keeps this framework alive and allows parliamentary scrutiny to continue. Labour MPs voted almost entirely in favour, providing the bulk of the 279 ayes, while Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, the DUP, and Reform UK voted against. The vote fell sharply along government and opposition lines, with no recorded Labour rebels. Four Green MPs and both SDLP members voted with the government. The bill sits in a contested political landscape: the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, argued that the 2023 Act's central immunity provision had failed, lacked support in Northern Ireland, and had been found incompatible with international legal obligations by domestic courts, while opposition MPs raised concerns about protections for veterans and police officers.
Voting Aye meant
Support carrying over the Troubles Bill to ensure it can complete its parliamentary passage, backing the government's new approach to Northern Ireland legacy issues including restored inquests, a reformed Legacy Commission, and protections for veterans and RUC officers.
Voting No meant
Oppose carrying over the Bill in its current form, reflecting concerns — particularly from Conservatives — about protections for veterans, the approach to immunity, or the fundamental direction of the legislation.
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 party-line column is inferred from how cohesively each party voted, not a published whip: a clear one-way majority of a party’s voters reads as a line, a close division reads as “Split”.
Party
Party line
Aye / No / Abs
Aye
No
Abs
Labour Party
Voted Aye
245
0
116
Conservative and Unionist Party
Voted No
0
103
13
Liberal Democrats
Voted No
0
59
12
Labour and Co-operative Party
Voted Aye
26
0
16
Independent
—
2
2
9
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Voted No
0
6
2
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Voted No
0
5
0
Green Party of England and Wales
Voted Aye
4
0
1
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
2
0
0
Your Party
—
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
1
0
0
Restore Britain
—
0
1
0
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
1
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · party line inferred from voting cohesion, not a published whip; “Split” = a close within-party division
The previous legacy Act failed and must be replaced; the Bill balances victim and veteran interests, includes new protections, and commands support from victims' families and the Irish government.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,462 words) →
The Bill is trapped between competing pressures, will drag veterans through vexatious litigation without delivering convictions, and represents a departure from the peace process model of immunity.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (3,226 words) →
The Bill remains deeply flawed despite months of negotiation; veterans lack sufficient statutory protections against repeat investigations, and the house should not carry over legislation without seeing full amendments.Liberal Democrats · Voted no · Read full speech (1,356 words) →
The Bill must address legacy based on truth and honesty; 186 children were killed in the troubles and victims deserve access to justice regardless of the perpetrator's uniform.SDLP · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,079 words) →
The government has failed to honour its manifesto commitment; veterans have lost confidence in promised protections, there is no equivalence between state actors and terrorists, and the Irish government delivers nothing while exerting pressure.DUP · Voted no · Read full speech (1,021 words) →
The Bill is a perversion of justice that subordinates soldier protection to Sinn Féin and IRA interests; veterans will face vexatious prosecution despite assurances, as shown by the Soldier B case.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (989 words) →
The Bill must be carried over to replace unlawful immunity provisions; it must command confidence by rooting protections in human rights and the rule of law, not slogans.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (511 words) →
The Bill is bad procedure dressed up as carry-over; it was damaged before, the government denied concerns about vexatious pursuit, and voting blind on unrevealed amendments betrays veterans' trust.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (997 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0