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
Parliament voted on 24 February 2025 on New Clause 1 to the Crown Estate Bill [Lords] at Report Stage. The clause, tabled by Plaid Cymru MP Llinos Medi, would have required the Treasury to complete the transfer of Crown Estate management in Wales to the Welsh Government within two years of the Act commencing. The vote was defeated by 316 votes to 59, Division 101. The Crown Estate controls the Welsh seabed and significant landholdings, including rights over offshore renewable energy projects. Transferring management to the Welsh Government would have given Wales direct control over revenues from those resources, including rapidly expanding offshore wind developments. Under current arrangements, profits flow to the UK Treasury. The defeat means the Crown Estate continues to manage Welsh assets on a UK-wide basis under the existing framework. Plaid Cymru's four MPs voted in favour, joined by all 53 Liberal Democrats who voted and all four Green MPs. Labour, including all 280 Labour MPs and 29 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted, opposed the clause, as did the Democratic Unionist Party and other unionist members. No Conservative MPs appear in the voting record for this division. The vote sits within a broader debate about the distribution of revenues from Wales's natural resources, particularly as offshore renewable energy becomes more commercially significant.
Voting Aye meant
Support devolving Crown Estate management in Wales to the Welsh Government, so Welsh communities benefit from their own natural resources including offshore renewable energy.
Voting No meant
Oppose Welsh devolution of the Crown Estate at this time, arguing it would introduce risk, complexity and fragmentation — particularly for licensing in the Celtic Sea — and that existing arrangements already serve Welsh interests.
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
18
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
Your Party
—
0
1
1
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
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