Sit in private

On 25 April 2025, the House of Commons voted on a procedural motion to hold a committee session in private, excluding the public and press. The motion was defeated by 73 votes to 1, Division number 176. The practical effect of this result is that the committee session in question remained open to public and press observation. Motions to sit in private are a standard procedural mechanism by which parliamentary committees can close their proceedings; defeating such a motion preserves the default of open scrutiny. The vote produced near-unanimous cross-party opposition to closing the session. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs together provided the one Aye vote and 46 of the No votes. Conservatives contributed 15 No votes, the Scottish National Party 9, and smaller parties and independents made up the remainder. No Liberal Democrat, Reform UK, or Sinn Fein MPs had a vote recorded. The lopsided result reflects the routine nature of such motions; they are occasionally moved as a procedural tactic and are typically defeated.