Inside Westminster — Week of 19 October 2026

Here is what the parliamentary week looked like on the official record.

This week’s recorded votes

The Commons recorded 12 divisions in the period covered. The closest was Northern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: Amendment 4, decided by 175 to 319. The most one-sided was Withdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (345 to 108).

See the latest Commons votes in full, and our guide to how MPs vote.

Bills on the move

Several bills advanced through the stages set out in our guide to how a bill becomes law:

• Representation of the People Bill — Committee stage.
• Health Bill — Committee stage.
• Railways Bill — Committee stage.
• Social Housing Bill [HL] — Committee stage.

See all bills currently before Parliament.

What the public is petitioning for

2 petitions have passed the 100,000 mark that triggers consideration for a debate. The most-signed open petitions were:

• Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks — 131,865 signatures.
• End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately — 119,216 signatures.
• Reduce the state pension age to 65 for all — 99,455 signatures.
• Launch a public inquiry into illegal migration in the UK — 84,803 signatures.
• Make statutory maternity pay 90% of wage for first 12 weeks & minimum wage after — 75,573 signatures.

See the petitions gaining traction and how petitions work.

This is a digest, not the full picture — committee work and Lords scrutiny continue in parallel.

Source: UK Parliament open data (Commons Votes, Bills and Petitions services), used under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Figures reflect the public record at the time of the last site update.