Royal Assent: Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill signed into law
12 February 2019
The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill received Royal Assent on 12 February 2019. It becomes the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.
What is the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019?
The Act
- amends certain terrorism offences for the digital age and reflects contemporary patterns of radicalisation
- increases the maximum penalty for certain offences, ensuring the punishment better reflects the crime and better prevents re-offending
- manages offenders following their release from custody
- strengthens powers of the police to prevent and investigate terrorist offences
- hardens the UK's defences at the border against hostile state activity
The Act received Royal Assent on 12 February 2019, having completed all its parliamentary stages. Parts of the Act commence (come into force) immediately while other parts commence later.
You can follow its passage, from first reading to Act of Parliament, below.
The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019: Parliamentary passage
You can find explanatory information, bill documents, impartial supporting research and links to transcripts and video of proceedings in both Houses of Parliament:
- Parliament News: House of Commons stages
- Parliament News: House of Lords stages
- Commons Library Briefing: Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill
- Lords Library Briefing: Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill
What is Royal Assent?
Once a bill has completed all the parliamentary stages in both Houses, it is ready to receive Royal Assent. This is when the Queen formally agrees to make the bill into an Act of Parliament (law).
There is no set time period between the end of a bill's passage through Parliament and Royal Assent.
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