Public Office (Accountability) Bill Report Stage: Amendment 3

Parliament voted on 14 July 2026 on Amendment 3 to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill at Report Stage (the stage at which the full House of Commons examines and can alter a bill after it has been through committee). The amendment was defeated by 323 votes to 93. The Public Office (Accountability) Bill centres on a legal duty of candour for public authorities and officials, requiring them to be honest and transparent, particularly following major incidents. The available Hansard extracts do not set out the precise text or effect of Amendment 3 specifically, so its detailed content cannot be confirmed from the record. The debate more broadly addressed questions about post-legislative review, the role of a standing public advocate, and whether the intelligence services should be subject to the same accountability provisions as other public bodies. The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 55 voting Liberal Democrats and all 5 voting Greens backed the amendment, as did all 4 voting Plaid Cymru members, all 4 voting Democratic Unionist Party members, all 4 voting Reform UK members, and all 6 voting SNP members. Labour, by contrast, voted overwhelmingly against: 285 Labour MPs and 38 Labour and Co-operative MPs voted no. Seven Labour MPs voted aye, a small rebellion against the government position. The result mirrors two related divisions on the same day, Amendment 19 (defeated 412 to 104) and Amendment 199 (defeated 409 to 102), suggesting a consistent pattern of opposition amendments being rejected by the Labour majority at this Report Stage.