Crown Estate Bill [Lords] Report Stage: Amendment 2
61Ayes
316Noes
Defeated · majority 255 · Government won273 did not vote
650 Members · Aye 61 · No 316 · DNV 273 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament defeated a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Crown Estate Bill on 24 February 2025, by 316 votes to 61. Amendment 2, moved at Report Stage (the phase when MPs review and propose changes after detailed committee scrutiny), would have required Crown Estate Commissioners to assess and report on the environmental impacts and benefits of their investment decisions before making them. The vote matters because the Crown Estate Bill expands the Crown Estate's powers to borrow and invest, with particular relevance to offshore energy such as floating wind. The amendment sought to embed a formal environmental assessment duty within those new powers, ensuring that nature protection was an explicit legal requirement rather than a secondary consideration. Proponents argued this would prevent conflicts between the Crown Estate's commercial interests and the health of the marine environment, particularly as the organisation takes on a larger role in managing the seabed for energy development. The division fell almost entirely along party lines. All 310 Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the amendment. The Liberal Democrats provided the bulk of the Ayes, with all 50 of their voting members supporting it, joined by all four Plaid Cymru MPs, all four Green MPs, and one Ulster Unionist. There were no notable cross-party rebellions. The result reflects the Liberal Democrats' use of the Bill's Report Stage to push for stronger environmental safeguards, a position the Government resisted by arguing that existing planning rules and the Crown Estate's own strategic objectives already provide sufficient environmental oversight.
Voting Aye meant
Support adding an explicit environmental assessment duty to Crown Estate investment decisions, ensuring nature protection and environmental value are formally embedded in its new borrowing and investment powers.
Voting No meant
Oppose the amendment as unnecessary, arguing existing environmental regulations, planning processes, and the Crown Estate's own strategic objectives already require consideration of environmental impacts.
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
—
0
0
116
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
50
0
21
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
29
13
Independent
—
1
2
11
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
0
0
7
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
—
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 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