Opposition Day: UK-EU Summit: Government amendment
321Ayes
102Noes
Carried · majority 219 · Government won224 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 321 · No 102 · DNV 224 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
On 13 May 2025, the House of Commons voted on a government amendment to an Opposition Day motion (a debate called by the opposition rather than the government) concerning a UK-EU summit. The government's amendment passed by 321 votes to 102. Earlier the same day, the original opposition motion fell by 402 votes to 104 in a separate division. The vote determined the terms on which Parliament expressed its view about the UK's engagement with the European Union ahead of or following a UK-EU summit. By passing its own amendment rather than the opposition's original text, the government secured parliamentary backing for its preferred framing of the UK-EU relationship, avoiding language calling for enhanced or closer cooperation that went beyond its stated position. The practical effect is that Parliament's formal expression on this question now reflects government rather than opposition priorities on EU engagement. The division followed near-perfect party lines. All 317 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government amendment, while 93 Conservatives and 7 Reform UK MPs voted against, alongside one Democratic Unionist Party member and one Traditional Unionist Voice member. The SNP recorded no votes in either lobby. The Conservatives and Reform UK, both broadly sceptical of closer EU ties, found themselves on the same side opposing the government's position, though for reasons that may differ from the opposition's original pro-cooperation framing. The result, read alongside the earlier 402 to 104 defeat of the original motion, illustrates how the government used its Commons majority to reshape the parliamentary debate on EU relations entirely to its own terms.
Voting Aye meant
Support the Labour government's framing of UK-EU relations and its approach to the summit, backing closer engagement with the EU on the government's terms
Voting No meant
Reject the government's amendment, preferring the original opposition motion — likely reflecting concerns about the terms of UK-EU rapprochement or a more sceptical stance on closer EU ties
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
286
0
75
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
93
23
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
72
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
30
0
12
Independent
—
3
2
8
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
7
1
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
—
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
1
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
0
Your Party
—
0
0
1
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Conservative Party must maintain hard Brexit red lines: reject youth mobility schemes, dynamic alignment, ECJ jurisdiction, and new payments to EU; defend fishing rights and ensure NATO remains sole defence foundationConservative · Voted no · Read full speech (3,487 words) →
Government has clear mandate to reset UK-EU relationship on safety, security, and growth; will not rejoin single market or customs union or accept freedom of movement, but pragmatically negotiates to reduce trade barriers and strengthen defence cooperationLabour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,522 words) →
Conservative motion offers no solutions; Labour's half-measures fall short; Liberal Democrats advocate bold four-step roadmap including eventual customs union and single market membership to unlock growthLiberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,940 words) →
Referendum result represents superior mandate to single-term election; concerns about European defence procurement favouring France/Germany; warns against dynamic alignment and ECJ jurisdictionConservative · Voted no · Read full speech (4,349 words) →
UK already has defence cooperation and owns significant military capabilities; government must explain what tangible benefits a new defence pact provides before agreeingConservative · Voted no · Read full speech (3,893 words) →
Government pragmatism replaces Conservative chaos; EU trade deal essential for growth; youth mobility scheme and defence partnership strengthen Britain without reversing BrexitLabour · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,583 words) →
Security and defence partnership with EU essential given Putin threat; cooperation with Europe strengthens rather than undermines UK securityLabour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,306 words) →
Both government and opposition are hard Brexiteers; questions damage of Brexit and seeks commitment to youth mobility scheme for young peopleScottish National Party · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (159 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0