National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill Motion to Disagree with Lords Amendment 21
316Ayes
187Noes
Carried · majority 129 · Government won143 did not vote
646 Members · Aye 316 · No 187 · DNV 143 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Commons voted 316 to 187 on 19 March 2025 to reject Lords Amendment 21 to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill, restoring the government's original text. The motion to disagree passed with a majority of 129, meaning the upper chamber's change was overturned and the Bill proceeds in the form the Commons originally approved. The Bill raises employer National Insurance contributions (the tax employers pay on workers' wages above a threshold). Lords Amendment 21 represented the upper chamber's attempt to alter the government's proposed legislation; by voting to disagree with that amendment, the Commons reasserts its preferred version of the measure. The practical effect is that the government's employer NI rise advances without the modification the Lords had inserted. Every Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party MP who voted backed the government, producing the 316 ayes. All 96 voting Conservatives and all 62 voting Liberal Democrats went into the no lobby, joined by the SNP, Reform UK, Plaid Cymru, the Greens, and the DUP. Three independents voted aye and four voted no. There were no rebels on either side of the government versus opposition divide, making this a clean partisan split at a late stage of a contentious fiscal measure.
Voting Aye meant
Support the government's position by rejecting the Lords amendment to the employer National Insurance Bill, backing the original legislation as passed by the Commons
Voting No meant
Support retaining the Lords amendment, opposing the government's attempt to override the upper chamber's change to the National Insurance Bill
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
281
0
80
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
96
20
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
62
9
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
32
0
10
Independent
—
3
4
6
Scottish National Party
Whipped No
0
8
1
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
5
2
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
0
2
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