National Security (State Threats) Bill: motion to agree to Lords Amendment 1

MPs voted 394 to 85 on 6 July 2026 to accept Lords Amendment 1 to the National Security (State Threats) Bill. The amendment, tabled by Baroness Northover in the House of Lords, introduces a new defence into the Bill's offences concerning assistance to designated state threats, specifically to protect legitimate humanitarian aid activity by non-governmental organisations. The result means the amendment is now incorporated into the Bill. The Bill creates powers for the Secretary of State to designate organisations involved in foreign power threat activity, backed by criminal offences for supporting, assisting, or obtaining benefits from designated bodies. Without Amendment 1, humanitarian organisations operating in conflict zones risked prosecution for routine activities such as negotiating access, paying local permits, or providing medical care to all sides, activities often required to deliver aid in areas controlled by state-linked or designated actors. The amendment ensures NGOs engaged in legitimate humanitarian work benefit from the same statutory protections already available to UK diplomats under the Bill. The vote divided sharply along party lines. Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Labour and Co-operative Party, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens all voted in favour. All 83 Conservative MPs who voted opposed the amendment, with 33 further Conservatives recording no vote. One independent, one Traditional Unionist Voice MP, and one Ulster Unionist MP also voted against. Within Labour, one MP, Kim Johnson, raised concerns that the Bill still posed risks to journalists, though she did not vote against the amendment. The Bill has been progressing through Parliament since at least June 2026, with several committee-stage divisions on related amendments earlier that month.