Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Carry-over (Motion)

Parliament voted on 27 April 2026 to carry over the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill into the next parliamentary session, passing the motion by 279 votes to 176. The procedural vote, moved by Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, ensures that the bill does not fall at the end of the current session and can resume its passage rather than having to restart from scratch. Without the carry-over, the legislation would have been lost entirely. The bill aims to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, passed by the previous Conservative government, which the current Labour government argues failed because its central immunity provision lacked support in Northern Ireland, was found by domestic courts to be incompatible with international legal obligations, and was never commenced. The new legislation proposes a Legacy Commission with access to Irish government records, alongside protections for veterans and former police officers, including Royal Ulster Constabulary personnel. Victims' groups including the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland and the WAVE trauma centre urged MPs to support the carry-over so the bill could proceed to scrutiny. Labour and its Co-operative Party partners voted unanimously for the motion, joined by the Green Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and two independents. Every Conservative MP present voted against, as did the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, Traditional Unionist Voice, and three independents. The debate was dominated by disagreement over veterans' protections, with Conservatives criticising the government for not yet publishing promised amendments and questioning the influence of the Irish government and Sinn Féin over the bill's direction. The carry-over means the bill returns to the House early in the new session for a Committee of the whole House.