Crown Estate Bill [Lords] Report Stage: Amendment 4
153Ayes
316Noes
Defeated · majority 163 · Government won178 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 153 · No 316 · DNV 178 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 24 February 2025 on whether to impose a statutory cap on the Crown Estate's borrowing, limiting its net debt-to-asset ratio to no more than 25 per cent, with any change to that limit requiring parliamentary approval through affirmative regulations. The amendment was defeated by 316 votes to 153. The Crown Estate Bill grants the Estate new powers to borrow money, intended to allow it to invest more aggressively, particularly in offshore energy. The amendment sought to write a hard borrowing limit into statute rather than leave it to a memorandum of understanding between the Crown Estate and the Treasury. Critics of the amendment argued that a flexible arrangement gives the Estate room to respond to investment opportunities; supporters said a memorandum of understanding can be altered without any parliamentary involvement, leaving the new borrowing powers without a meaningful check. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 310 Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the amendment, and no Conservative or Liberal Democrat MP voted against it. The Conservatives provided 88 of the 153 ayes, the Liberal Democrats 53, with smaller parties including Plaid Cymru, the Democratic Unionist Party and Reform UK making up the remainder. There were no notable cross-party rebels on either side. The defeat leaves the Crown Estate's borrowing controls resting on the memorandum of understanding that the Government has defended throughout the Bill's passage.
Voting Aye meant
Support imposing a statutory borrowing cap on the Crown Estate to ensure parliamentary oversight of its new borrowing powers, rather than relying on informal Treasury guidance.
Voting No meant
Oppose a fixed statutory borrowing limit, preferring to set borrowing controls through a memorandum of understanding between the Crown Estate and the Treasury, retaining flexibility for the Estate to invest and generate returns.
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
281
80
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
88
0
28
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
53
0
18
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
29
13
Independent
—
2
2
10
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
2
0
5
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
4
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
—
1
0
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
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 aye · 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 aye · 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