Great British Energy Bill Report Stage: Amendment 6

Parliament voted on 29 October 2024 to reject Amendment 6 to the Great British Energy Bill, which would have required the Bill to include binding commitments on reducing household energy bills by £300, creating jobs, and meeting other specific delivery benchmarks. The amendment was defeated by 361 votes to 124. The amendment sought to write the Labour Party's pre-election promises directly into legislation, making them enforceable targets rather than aspirational objectives. Had it passed, Great British Energy would have been legally bound to deliver quantifiable outcomes on consumer bills and employment. Its defeat means the organisation will pursue its statutory objects, covering clean energy production, improving energy efficiency, and ensuring energy security, without being tied to specific numerical commitments of that kind. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 316 Labour MPs and all 36 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the amendment. The Conservatives provided the bulk of the 124 ayes, joined by the SNP, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, and the Ulster Unionist Party. The Greens voted no alongside the Government. Four independents voted aye and five voted no. There were no notable cross-party rebellions on the Government side.