Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: Amendment 69

What happened: On 9 June 2025, MPs voted on Amendment 69 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill during its Report Stage (the stage at which the full House of Commons reviews and can alter a Bill after it has been examined in committee). The amendment was defeated by 307 votes to 180. The amendment related to compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), development corporations, and associated compensation and land acquisition provisions within the Bill.

Why it matters: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is the Government's flagship legislation to accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure delivery across England. Amendment 69 sat within a cluster of proposals focused on how land is acquired compulsorily for development and what rights and protections landowners, tenants, and communities retain during that process. Its defeat means the Bill's existing compulsory purchase framework, including the balance between developer powers and landowner compensation, remains as the Government drafted it. Those who supported the amendment argued that current arrangements leave landowners, including farmers, with inadequate protections; those who opposed it, including the Government, held that adding further obligations or constraints would slow housing and infrastructure delivery.

The politics: The vote divided sharply along government-versus-opposition lines. Labour MPs voted overwhelmingly against the amendment (268 No, with only 16 Labour members voting Aye), while Conservatives (92 Aye), Liberal Democrats (57 Aye), and Greens (4 Aye) all voted in favour. The 16 Labour MPs who backed the amendment represent a modest but notable cross-bench moment of dissent within the governing party. The broader debate around this vote was heated, with opposition spokespeople accusing the Government of ignoring constructive cross-party amendments throughout the Bill's passage, while Government supporters argued that opposition amendments were designed to impede development rather than improve it. The Bill subsequently passed its Third Reading on 10 June 2025 by 306 votes to 174, confirming that the Government's version, without the changes proposed by Amendment 69 and several related amendments, will now proceed to the House of Lords.