National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill Motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 4
313Ayes
190Noes
Carried · majority 123 · Government won142 did not vote
645 Members · Aye 313 · No 190 · DNV 142 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
The Commons voted on 19 March 2025 to reject Lords Amendment 4 to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill, restoring the Bill to the form in which the Commons originally passed it. The motion passed by 313 votes to 190. The Bill raises employers' National Insurance contributions, and the Lords had amended it before sending it back to the Commons for consideration. The practical effect of this vote is to remove the change the Lords had inserted and advance the Bill in its original government form. The legislation increases the rate of secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions paid by employers, a measure the government has presented as necessary for public finances. Rejecting the Lords amendment means the version of the Bill that will continue through Parliament does not include whatever modification the upper chamber had sought to introduce. Party lines held almost completely. All 310 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government's position. The 97 Conservatives, 62 Liberal Democrats, 8 SNP members, 6 Reform UK MPs, 4 Plaid Cymru MPs, 3 Greens, and 3 Democratic Unionist Party MPs who voted all opposed the government. A small number of independents voted on each side. There were no notable cross-party rebels. The vote reflects the broader parliamentary contest over this Bill, which has been a central element of the government's fiscal programme since the autumn Budget.
Voting Aye meant
Support the government's position by rejecting the Lords' amendment to the employer National Insurance Bill, backing the Bill as originally passed by the Commons
Voting No meant
Support retaining the Lords' amendment, opposing the government's attempt to reverse the change made by the upper chamber
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 Aye
280
0
81
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
97
19
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
62
9
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
30
0
12
Independent
—
3
4
6
Scottish National Party
Whipped No
0
8
1
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
6
1
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
3
2
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
3
1
Plaid Cymru
Whipped No
0
4
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
2
0
Your Party
—
0
1
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
1
0
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
Government must reject all amendments as they risk funding needed to fix inherited fiscal crisis and repair public services; exemptions would require higher borrowing, lower spending, or other tax rises.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (4,959 words) →
Amendments should be supported to protect healthcare providers, charities, and small businesses; the national insurance rise is a broken manifesto promise that will stifle growth and harm vulnerable sectors.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,721 words) →
All 21 amendments should pass as the jobs tax is self-defeating, robbing Peter to pay Paul by taxing GPs and care providers who prevent hospital admissions; alternative fairer revenue sources exist.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (1,111 words) →
Individual exemptions would compromise tax neutrality, simplicity, and stability; a good tax system treats similar activities similarly and does not introduce cliff-edge perverse incentives.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,233 words) →
The tax will devastate children's hospices, care homes, nurseries, and early years providers; costs will cascade to vulnerable families and women disproportionately, and the government shows no compassion.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,432 words) →
Labour broke its manifesto promise on national insurance; the amendments protect essential services and vulnerable people, and the threadbare government benches show Labour does not care.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,145 words) →
The national insurance increase is an unforced fiscal error; 82% of firms face potential lay-offs, and growth is collapsing; the government should conduct a proper impact assessment as Lords amendment 21 requires.SNP · Voted no · Read full speech (1,024 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0