Motion to sit in private

What happened: On 28 March 2025, the House of Commons voted on a motion to sit in private, which would have excluded the public and media from proceedings. The motion was defeated comprehensively, with zero Members voting in favour and 44 voting against. The motion was moved by Chris McDonald MP under Standing Order No. 163, which requires such a motion to be put to the House immediately without debate.

Why it matters: A motion to sit in private, if passed, would have closed the public gallery and excluded journalists from the chamber, suspending the normal principle that parliamentary proceedings are open to scrutiny. The defeat means that the business of the day continued in full public view. The day's agenda included a Second Reading debate on Clive Lewis's Water Bill, the Looked After Children (Distance Placements) Bill brought forward by Jake Richards, and a Westminster Hall-style debate on Down Syndrome Act 2022 guidance. All of these continued to be accessible to the public and on the parliamentary record.

The politics: The vote attracted participation from only a small cross-section of Members present on a Friday sitting, when attendance is traditionally lower as many Members are in their constituencies. Of the 44 Members who voted to reject the motion, 28 were from the Labour Party, 10 from the Conservative and Unionist Party, 7 from Labour and Co-operative, 2 from the Green Party, and 1 Independent. Two Labour Members voted in favour of moving into private session, though this did not alter the outcome. The Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Fein and Traditional Unionist Voice recorded no votes on either side. The government's position was to oppose the motion, and the result was never in doubt.