Armed Forces Commissioner Act

Key Points

• Establishes the office and remit of an Armed Forces Commissioner to oversee accountability for armed forces personnel and defence practices.
• Sets out how the Commissioner will operate and report on defence matters.
• Grants oversight over the Ministry of Defence and service management, enabling scrutiny of actions taken.
• The bill has completed passage and received Royal Assent, becoming law.
• During passage, Lords amendments and government amendments were debated, with votes in both Houses on disagreeing with Lords amendments.

Progress

The bill has now received Royal Assent and is an Act of Parliament, having completed passage through both Houses after negotiations over Lords amendments.

Voting

In the Commons, Labour and allied MPs largely supported the bill, while Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs opposed; Independents mixed their votes. In the Lords, government amendments replacing earlier Lords amendments were approved, with motions to disagree with Lords Amendments 2 and 3 also carried in the Lords.