Motion to sit in private

What happened: On 6 December 2024, the House of Commons voted on a motion to sit in private, which would have excluded the public and media from the parliamentary session. The motion was moved by Alex McIntyre and was defeated by 49 votes to 1. The vote was taken immediately under Standing Order No. 163, which requires such motions to be put without debate.

Why it matters: A motion to sit in private, if passed, would close the public gallery and remove media access from parliamentary proceedings, preventing citizens from observing or reporting on what their elected representatives discuss and decide. The overwhelming rejection of this motion preserves the principle of open parliamentary democracy, ensuring that the debates and decisions that followed in that session, including the second reading of the European Union (Withdrawal Arrangements) Bill and an adjournment debate on spray foam insulation, remained fully accessible to the public and press.

The politics: The single Aye vote came from within Labour's ranks, while the No votes were spread across Labour, Conservative, Democratic Unionist Party, Labour and Co-operative, Traditional Unionist Voice, Independent, Reform UK, and Ulster Unionist members. No party voted collectively in favour of the motion, and the result reflected a broad cross-party consensus against closing proceedings to public scrutiny. The motion attracted minimal parliamentary support and appears to have been a procedural formality rather than a serious political effort to restrict access.