Crown Estate Bill [Lords] Report Stage: New Clause 1
59Ayes
316Noes
Defeated · majority 257 · Government won270 did not vote
645 Members · Aye 59 · No 316 · DNV 270 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
The House of Commons voted on New Clause 1 of the Crown Estate Bill [Lords] at Report Stage on 24 February 2025. The new clause, tabled by Plaid Cymru, would have transferred management of the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government within two years of the Act coming into force. The motion was defeated by 316 votes to 59. Had the new clause passed, it would have required the Crown Estate to hand over control of its Welsh assets, including offshore wind lease revenues in the Celtic sea, to the Welsh Government. Supporters argued this would have kept wealth generated from Welsh natural resources within Wales, potentially adding an estimated £50 million annually to the Welsh Government's budget. Opponents, including the UK government, argued that devolving the Crown Estate at this stage would disrupt ongoing offshore wind investment programmes straddling the English and Welsh administrative boundaries, delay progress toward net zero targets, and risk the commercial viability of floating offshore wind projects already in development. The vote divided along clear lines. All 309 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted did so against the new clause, in line with the government whip. The 59 votes in favour came from the Liberal Democrats (53 votes), Plaid Cymru (4 votes), and the Green Party (4 votes), with one independent also voting in favour. The Democratic Unionist Party voted against, as did Reform UK and the Traditional Unionist Voice. The debate connected to broader tensions over devolution, Welsh economic inequality, and the pace of green energy development, with Plaid Cymru drawing parallels to the devolution of Crown Estate powers already carried out in Scotland.
Voting Aye meant
Support devolving Crown Estate powers in Wales to the Welsh Government, arguing Welsh communities should control and benefit from their own natural resources.
Voting No meant
Oppose devolving the Crown Estate to Wales at this stage, preferring to keep it as a UK-wide institution or pursue other arrangements.
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
280
81
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
0
0
116
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
53
0
19
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
29
13
Independent
—
1
2
11
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
0
1
6
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
3
2
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
1
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
1
0
Your Party
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
New Clause 1 proposes devolving Welsh Crown Estate management to Welsh Government within two years, arguing Wales should control and benefit from its natural resources like Scotland does.Plaid Cymru · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,349 words) →
Supports the Bill but backs Amendment 5 to require Crown Estate to have regard to net zero, regional economic growth and energy security as defined duties, rejecting ESG window-dressing.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,280 words) →
Backs Amendment 4 (25% borrowing cap), New Clause 5 (Treasury approval for 10%+ asset disposals), and New Clause 6 (publish GB Energy partnership agreement) to ensure parliamentary oversight.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,277 words) →
Supports Bill but backs Amendment 2 (define sustainable development with climate and nature duty) and New Clause 3 (5% of profits to local communities) to ensure accountability and community benefits.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,527 words) →
Supports the Bill as modernising Crown Estate to accelerate net zero and energy security; opposes new clauses and amendments as unnecessary restrictions on Crown Estate's flexibility.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (694 words) →
Backs Amendment 3 requiring Crown Estate to assess coastal erosion protections where offshore projects make landfall, citing unfair disparity between energy infrastructure and community protection.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (782 words) →
Opposes New Clause 7 (devolution to Northern Ireland Executive) as impractical given Stormont's dysfunction and Lough Foyle's contentious status with Republic of Ireland.DUP · Voted no · Read full speech (637 words) →
Rejects devolution to Wales and Northern Ireland as commercially unviable and disruptive to grid connectivity and offshore wind investment; maintains existing structure benefits all UK nations.Labour (Minister) · Voted no · Read full speech (5,491 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0