Passenger Railway Services Bill (Public Ownership) Bill: Committee: Amendment 17
113Ayes
372Noes
Defeated · majority 259 · Government won162 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 113 · No 372 · DNV 162 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on Amendment 17 to the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill during its Committee Stage on 3 September 2024. The amendment, tabled by the Conservatives, sought to modify the government's plans to bring passenger rail services into public ownership. It was defeated by 372 votes to 113, with the government's position prevailing comfortably. The Bill forms the centrepiece of the government's plan to transfer passenger rail franchises from private operators into public hands as existing contracts expire, creating a publicly owned operator. Amendment 17 was one of several Conservative attempts during Committee Stage to alter or constrain this plan. Its defeat clears the way for the Bill to proceed in its original form, keeping the government's nationalisation approach intact and affecting millions of rail passengers across England. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 317 Labour MPs and 38 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the amendment, while 104 Conservative MPs and 5 Democratic Unionist Party MPs supported it. Four Reform UK MPs also voted with the Conservatives. A handful of independents split in both directions. This vote sat within a broader pattern of Committee Stage resistance from the Conservatives, who tabled multiple amendments on the same day, all of which were defeated by similar margins. The Bill had already passed its Second Reading on 29 July 2024 by 351 votes to 84, and would later survive Lords amendments in November 2024.
Voting Aye meant
Support Amendment 17 to the Public Ownership Rail Bill, likely reflecting opposition attempts to modify or constrain the nationalisation of passenger rail services
Voting No meant
Reject Amendment 17, maintaining the Bill as drafted by the Labour government to bring passenger rail services into public ownership
Each row is one party. The stacked bar gives the within-party split of Aye / No / Absent; the columns on the right give the raw counts. The whip column shows the published party position — “Free vote” means the whip was formally removed for this division.
Party
Whip
Aye / No / Abs
Aye
No
Abs
Labour Party
Whipped No
0
316
45
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
104
0
12
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
72
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
38
4
Independent
—
1
8
5
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
4
0
3
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
4
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped No
0
4
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
2
0
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
0
1
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
0
1
Your Party
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Opposes the Bill's ideological approach; demands rigorous impact assessments, independent oversight of DOHL's capacity, financial monitoring of public operators, and independent pay review body to prevent union-driven wage inflation without productivity gains.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (4,878 words) →
Supports the Bill as correcting 30 years of privatisation damage; emphasizes billions in profits transferred abroad and that Labour has thoroughly developed the policy, rejecting claims of haste.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (231 words) →
Strongly supports public ownership but warns that DfT officials may obstruct implementation; urges fast prioritisation of worst-performing franchises first and seeks clarity on removing clause 2(3) loopholes.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,468 words) →
Neutral on ownership model; demands independent review of passenger experience impacts, ticketing system overhaul, and mechanisms for devolved local bodies to run services under GBR guidance.Liberal Democrats · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,476 words) →
Strongly supportive; defends public ownership against privatisation's dividend payouts to foreign governments; cites improved performance of DOHL-run services (LNER, TransPennine) and urges exploration of not-for-profit rolling stock financing.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,579 words) →
Supportive; emphasizes procurement reform and supply chain stability as critical for domestic rail manufacturing (Alstom Derby), requires detailed Government procurement strategy.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (764 words) →
Supportive of principle; proposes amendments to enable elected local bodies (combined authorities, councils) to own and operate companies bidding for franchises under GBR framework.Green Party · Voted no · Read full speech (314 words) →
Defends the Bill and the recent ASLEF pay deal as delivering necessary reform; criticises previous Secretary of State's failed modernisation attempts.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,370 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0