We’ve passed an amendment in the Lords so that people in care are only deprived of their liberty when it is necessary to prevent them from harm.
People in care deserve their freedom too. That’s why we’ve ensured that their freedom is only restricted when they’re at risk to themselves.
Vulnerable people deserve protection – and the government has a duty to protect them.
But the Mental Capacity Bill that the government supports isn’t good enough.
It doesn’t protect the freedom of people in care and it doesn’t protect them from harm either.
It just doesn’t work.
No one deserves to have their freedom taken away lightly. If we’re going to restrict someone’s liberty, we have to be absolutely sure. That’s why this amendment is so important.
We’ve made sure that there is a strong test before anyone’s freedom is taken away.
We won the vote by 202 votes to 188. This is nothing less than a triumph for the most vulnerable in society.
The government thinks it can sit back and neglect people in care.
We’re using this opportunity to tell the government to think again.