Crown Estate Bill [Lords] Report Stage: New Clause 6

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 24 February 2025 on New Clause 6 to the Crown Estate Bill, which would have required climate impact assessments for major development projects undertaken by or in partnership with the Crown Estate. The amendment was defeated by 312 votes to 100, with the government opposing it.

Why it matters: The Crown Estate manages approximately £15.5 billion of assets, including vast stretches of coastal land and seabed that are central to the UK's offshore wind expansion and wider net zero ambitions. New Clause 6 would have inserted a requirement for formal climate impact assessments before major developments could proceed, adding a layer of environmental scrutiny to the Crown Estate's new borrowing and investment powers granted by the Bill. The government argued that existing planning processes and environmental assessments already provide sufficient oversight, making the additional clause unnecessary. Proponents argued it would have strengthened accountability at a moment when the Crown Estate is being given significantly expanded commercial powers.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along party lines, with all 311 Labour and Labour-Co-operative MPs voting no and 88 Conservatives voting in favour of the new clause, joined by Plaid Cymru, the DUP, two Reform UK members, one Traditional Unionist Voice MP and one Ulster Unionist MP. No Conservative MPs voted against, and no Labour MPs broke ranks. The amendment sits in the context of a broader Report Stage debate dominated by questions of Welsh devolution, fishing community protections and the pace of offshore wind development, with several parties pressing the government on environmental and community safeguards within the Bill's expanded commercial framework.