Armed Forces Bill

I will be brief because I am conscious that Opposition Members want to ensure that their comments about later groups of Lords amendments are put on the record. I thus intend no disrespect to the House by the amount of time for which I shall speak to several groups. The Lords amendments are improvements to the drafting of provisions on the offences of mutiny and desertion. They will make the provisions easier for the layman to understand. We listened carefully to concerns expressed in another place about the way in which the provisions on the offence of mutiny were originally drafted. We agreed that clause 6 could be redrafted so that it would be simpler to understand, not least by including the word ““mutiny”” in the body of the offence. The Lords amendments make no substantive change to the effect of the original measure—mutiny remains both an agreement to resist or overthrow authority, and the act of doing so. Under clause 7, as amended, failure to suppress an act of mutiny will remain an offence, but not failure to suppress an agreement.