Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: New Clause 4

Parliament voted on 22 June 2026 on New Clause 4 to the Armed Forces Bill at Report Stage. The clause, tabled by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative, Huntingdon) and signed by 64 MPs from across the House, would have removed visa fees for non-UK Commonwealth and Gurkha veterans who have served in the British armed forces for four years or more, and for their dependants. The motion was defeated by 311 votes to 164. The practical effect of the clause would have been to waive immigration visa fees for the immediate family members of Commonwealth and Gurkha personnel who have completed qualifying service. Both the Conservative and Labour parties included a commitment to remove these fees in their 2026 general election manifestos, and organisations including the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland have long campaigned for the change. The defeat means the existing fee requirement remains in place, at least for now. The vote divided largely along government versus opposition lines. No Labour or Labour and Co-operative MPs voted for the clause; all 308 Labour and Labour and Co-operative members who voted opposed it. Conservatives (88), Liberal Democrats (55), Greens (5), the Democratic Unionist Party (5), Plaid Cymru (4), and several independents all voted in favour. Some Labour backbenchers signalled sympathy with the principle but said they would not vote for the clause, preferring to give the Government time to deliver its existing manifesto commitment through other means.