Budget Responsibility Bill: Committee: Amendment 9
109Ayes
366Noes
Defeated · majority 257 · Government won172 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 109 · No 366 · DNV 172 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament defeated Amendment 9 to the Budget Responsibility Bill on 4 September 2024 by 366 votes to 109. The amendment, tabled by shadow Chancellor Nigel Huddleston, would have required the Office for Budget Responsibility to produce and publish an independent assessment whenever the government announces changes to its fiscal rules, not just when it announces fiscally significant tax or spending measures. The Bill as introduced requires HM Treasury to commission an OBR forecast before announcing any fiscally significant tax or spending measure, with the OBR able to step in and notify the Treasury Select Committee if the Treasury fails to do so. The amendment sought to extend that requirement to cover changes in the government's fiscal targets themselves. Defeating it means the Bill proceeds without that extension, so any future revision of the government's fiscal rules will not automatically trigger an independent OBR assessment under this legislation. Conservatives voted 102 to 0 in favour of the amendment, joined by four Reform UK MPs and two Democratic Unionist Party members. Labour MPs voted against by 323 to 1, with Labour and Co-operative Party members adding a further 37 votes against. The Scottish National Party had no votes recorded. The division sits within a broader sequence of economic votes in the autumn 2024 parliamentary session, including the Finance Bill's second reading in November 2024.
Voting Aye meant
Support extending OBR scrutiny to cover changes in the government's fiscal rules, ensuring independent oversight whenever the Treasury shifts its fiscal targets.
Voting No meant
Oppose the extension, arguing the Bill already achieves its purpose by covering fiscally significant tax and spending announcements, and that fiscal rules themselves do not constitute such measures.
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
1
323
37
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
102
0
14
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
37
5
Independent
—
2
3
9
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
4
0
3
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
2
0
3
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
4
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
1
1
Your 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
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Amendment 9 should require OBR reports on changes to fiscal rules themselves, not just measures below thresholds; accuses Labour of planning to change debt definition to hide borrowing.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,673 words) →
Maiden speech supporting fiscal responsibility and green investment to build prosperity; welcomes Bill as enabling growth rather than constraining it.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,229 words) →
Bill is disreputable political theatre that surrenders Parliament's responsibilities to unelected OBR; definition of 'fiscally significant' is dangerously vague and catches too many legitimate decisions.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,598 words) →
Supports Bill and amendments 6-7 to capture cumulative fiscal impacts, especially PFI debt which represents catastrophic value-for-money failure requiring independent scrutiny.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,804 words) →
Amendments 1-4 strengthen Bill by broadening 'fiscally significant' to include interest rate/growth impacts and requiring consultation on Charter changes; Bill essential safeguard after mini-Budget.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (654 words) →
Bill is toothless: OBR cannot stop budgets, only comment on them; does nothing to prevent austerity; Labour's £22bn black hole claim is exaggerated to justify attacks on pensioners.SNP · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,589 words) →
Maiden speech emphasizing fiscal responsibility as foundation for opportunity; Bill enables real change after Tory chaos that left constituents unable to afford mortgages and rent.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,156 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0