Opposition Day: Sewage: Government amendment
301Ayes
69Noes
Carried · majority 232 · Government won276 did not vote
646 Members · Aye 301 · No 69 · DNV 276 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
MPs voted 301 to 69 on 23 April 2025 to pass a government amendment to an opposition motion on sewage pollution. The vote was held on an Opposition Day, when parties other than the government choose the subject for debate. The Liberal Democrats had tabled the original motion criticising sewage discharge into waterways; the government responded by tabling its own amended wording to replace it. With 301 votes for the amendment and 69 against, the government's version passed comfortably. The practical effect is that the motion on the parliamentary record reflects the government's preferred framing of the sewage issue rather than the Liberal Democrats' original text. Opposition Day motions are not legally binding, but they carry political weight as a statement of the House's position. Those who voted against the amendment took the view that the government's wording weakened or diluted the commitments in the original Liberal Democrat motion, and that stronger language on sewage discharge and water company accountability was warranted. Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party MPs provided all 301 votes in favour, with no Labour member voting against. The Liberal Democrats provided 63 of the 69 votes against, joined by 3 independents, 2 Reform UK MPs, and 1 Democratic Unionist Party MP. All 116 Conservative MPs have no vote recorded. The vote sits alongside a related division held on the same day in which the Liberal Democrats' original motion was defeated 77 to 302, confirming the government's amended text as the outcome of the day's proceedings.
Voting Aye meant
Support the government's amended position on tackling sewage pollution, preferring Labour's framing of the issue and its proposed approach over the opposition's original motion.
Voting No meant
Reject the government's amendment, backing the original opposition motion on sewage — likely reflecting a view that the government's wording weakened or diluted the commitments in the opposition's text.
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
272
0
89
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
0
0
116
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
62
9
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
30
0
12
Independent
—
0
4
9
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
0
2
5
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
0
1
4
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
4
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
0
0
2
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
0
1
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
Called for radical transformation including new 'blue flag' status for rivers, stronger regulator replacing Ofwat, and potential public benefit company models for water companies; praised government's Water Act as a step but insufficient without bolder changes.Liberal Democrats · Voted no · Read full speech (4,240 words) →
Defended Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 as landmark legislation delivering tough new powers, £104bn private investment, and criminal penalties for water bosses; acknowledged inherited broken system but argued government moving decisively to reset sector through Cunliffe review.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,514 words) →
Credited Conservatives with establishing 100% storm overflow monitoring (from 7% in 2010) and Thames tideway tunnel; argued data collection is essential foundation; acknowledged more needed but criticized Labour for lack of clear plan beyond reviews and existing measures.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,659 words) →
Stated government has already delivered all three Liberal Democrat demands through the Water Act: urgent action, protection against sewage dumping, and public transparency; criticized Liberal Democrats for voting against the Act.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (732 words) →
Raised concern about Southern Water's repeated failures and proposed controversial recycled water scheme; questioned government's willingness to hold water companies truly accountable.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (147 words) →
Praised government action on River Wye and Usk, highlighting £1m joint investment with Welsh Government; credited Labour with achieving more in nine months than Conservatives in 14 years.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (564 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0