Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords]: Reasoned Amendment on Second Reading

Tuesday, 1 April 2025 · Division No. 166 · Commons

110Ayes

–

302Noes

Defeated

234 MPs did not vote

rightGovernment defeatedPro Eu Regulatory Divergence(Yes)Anti Ministerial Power Grab(Yes)Pro Post Brexit Regulatory Framework(No)Pro International Standards Alignment(No)

Voting Yes means

Support blocking the Bill, arguing it hands excessive powers to ministers and risks dynamic alignment with EU regulations rather than giving the UK true regulatory independence

Voting No means

Support the Bill proceeding, arguing it is necessary to fill regulatory gaps left by Brexit and gives the UK the toolkit to set its own product safety and measurement standards

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 1 April 2025 on a reasoned amendment (a procedural motion to decline giving a bill its second reading, effectively blocking it from proceeding further) tabled by Conservative MPs against the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. The amendment argued that the bill was unnecessary and would expand regulatory burdens in ways the opposition considered unjustified. The motion was defeated by 302 votes to 110, allowing the bill to advance to its next parliamentary stage.

Why it matters: The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill is designed to modernise the legal framework governing how goods sold in the UK are regulated for safety and accuracy of measurement, updating rules that date back decades and that were shaped by the UK's former EU membership. Defeating the reasoned amendment means the bill can continue its parliamentary passage, with implications for businesses that manufacture or sell physical goods in the UK, consumers who rely on product safety standards, and the broader question of how the UK aligns or diverges from EU regulatory frameworks following Brexit. Had the amendment succeeded, the bill would have been blocked at the outset.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 100 Conservative MPs who voted supported the amendment, joined by all five Democratic Unionist Party members who voted, three Reform UK MPs, and one each from Traditional Unionist Voice and Ulster Unionist Party. All Labour, Labour and Co-operative, Green, and SDLP members who voted opposed the amendment. Two independents voted with the opposition. There were no Conservative MPs voting against the amendment and no Labour MPs voting for it, indicating tight party discipline on both sides. The bill subsequently continued through its parliamentary stages, with further contested votes at Report Stage in June 2025 and a related marking of retail goods instrument passed that same month.