Great British Energy Bill: Second Reading
348Ayes
95Noes
Carried · majority 253 · Government won209 did not vote
652 Members · Aye 348 · No 95 · DNV 209 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 5 September 2024 to give the Great British Energy Bill its Second Reading, the first major parliamentary hurdle for the legislation. The Bill passed by 348 votes to 95. A Second Reading is the stage at which MPs debate and vote on whether a Bill should proceed in principle. Passing this stage means the Bill's central idea, creating a new publicly owned clean energy company backed by up to £8.3 billion in government funding, was approved by the House of Commons. The Bill proposes to establish Great British Energy (GBE) as a wholly Crown-owned company with a statutory purpose of facilitating and investing in clean energy production, storage, distribution and supply, improving energy efficiency, and securing energy supply. In practical terms, GBE would invest in technologies including floating offshore wind, solar, tidal, hydrogen, and carbon capture, taking stakes in projects alongside private sector partners rather than replacing private investment. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband argued the company would generate returns for taxpayers, create jobs, and build supply chains, pointing to state-owned energy firms in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and France that already own stakes in British energy assets. The vote divided along almost entirely party lines. All 300 Labour MPs and 32 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted supported the Bill. All 94 Conservatives who voted opposed it. The Conservative shadow Secretary of State, Graham Stuart, questioned what state ownership would add to a system that had already grown renewables from under 7 per cent of electricity in 2010 to nearly 50 per cent. One Reform UK MP and one DUP MP also voted against. Four Green MPs and one Ulster Unionist voted in favour. Plaid Cymru recorded no votes either way. The Bill subsequently progressed through further stages, with Report Stage amendments voted on in late October 2024, and the legislation has since become an Act.
Voting Aye meant
Support creating a state-owned British energy company to invest in clean power, arguing it will improve energy security, generate wealth for taxpayers, and create jobs — following the model of state-owned energy firms like Denmark's Ørsted and Norway's Statkraft.
Voting No meant
Oppose the Bill, arguing that private markets and existing policy frameworks have already delivered strong renewable growth, and that state ownership adds bureaucratic complexity without meaningfully changing who owns Britain's energy infrastructure.
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 Aye
300
0
61
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
94
22
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
32
0
10
Independent
—
5
1
8
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
0
1
6
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
0
1
4
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
1
0
1
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
—
1
0
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Bill exposes taxpayers to unlimited liability; amendments needed to narrow steel undertaking definition, restrict public interest test, require independent assessment and NAO value-for-money check, and limit sunset clause extension.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,988 words) →
Bill's broad powers modelled on Banking Act 2009 and essential for swift intervention in market failure; wide definition of steel undertaking and public interest test provide needed flexibility; government will exercise powers proportionately.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (5,966 words) →
Supports temporary nationalisation as rescue measure but demands parliamentary accountability through statement requirement, affirmative procedure for regulations, stakeholder advisory committee, and jobs transition strategy.Liberal Democrats · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,339 words) →
Secretary of state's powers in clauses 1–3 are too broad; definition of steel undertaking could catch tangential steelmakers, public interest test is undefined and expansible, and indefinite sunset extension negates the purpose of a sunset clause.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,952 words) →
Supports nationalisation and bill's swift passage; opposes conservative amendments as bureaucratic delays that would prevent necessary investment; calls for 10-year strategy, pro-British steel procurement, and blast furnace commitment.Reform UK · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,510 words) →
Supports bill as historic reversal of industry neglect; praises steel strategy and £2.5bn investment; urges government to ensure trade measures do not inadvertently harm downstream businesses and steel stockholders.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,176 words) →
Bill's speed and flexibility are essential; amendments imposing prerequisites would cumulatively hamper swift action; nationalisation means strategic acquisition with independent board, not day-to-day government control; supports transparency balanced against commercial sensitivity.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,772 words) →
Amendment 23 would guarantee protection of Welsh steel jobs and sites; Port Talbot was allowed to close when government could have intervened; Welsh steel deserves equal protection as English and Scottish sites.Plaid Cymru · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (789 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0