Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 22
73Ayes
312Noes
Defeated · majority 239 · Government won266 did not vote
651 Members · Aye 73 · No 312 · DNV 266 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
The House of Commons voted on New Clause 22 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill at Report Stage on 10 June 2025. The clause, tabled by opposition MPs, sought to strengthen planning protections or requirements beyond those contained in the government's bill. The House rejected the amendment by 312 votes to 73, a comfortable majority of 239 for the government's position. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is central to the government's ambition to accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure delivery across England. New Clause 22 would have imposed additional planning constraints or requirements on top of the government's reform framework. By defeating it, the government preserved its preferred approach to planning reform, which prioritises streamlining the development process. The outcome means that the additional protections or conditions the opposition sought to embed in the legislation will not, at this stage, become part of the bill. The Liberal Democrats provided the overwhelming majority of the 73 votes in favour, contributing 60 ayes, with Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, and the Democratic Unionist Party each adding four votes. Labour and the Labour and Co-operative Party voted unanimously against, supplying the bulk of the 312 noes. Notably, the Conservative Party was almost entirely absent, with 115 MPs not voting and only one casting an aye, suggesting the Conservatives chose not to oppose the government on this occasion rather than vote with the opposition amendment. The vote reflects a cross-party minority attempting to pull the bill in a more protective direction, comfortably outvoted by a united government parliamentary bloc.
Voting Aye meant
Support giving councils compulsory purchase powers to build cycling and walking routes, even over the objections of private landowners
Voting No meant
Oppose extending compulsory purchase powers for active travel, preferring voluntary cooperation with landowners and community-led approaches
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 No
0
274
87
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
1
0
115
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
60
0
12
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
29
13
Independent
—
2
3
8
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
0
0
8
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
1
0
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
1
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
New Clause 22 should require statutory guidance on using CPOs for active travel routes to match existing CPO use for roads, citing Welsh precedent and evidence that current guidance is insufficientLiberal Democrats · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,076 words) →
Supports development corporation powers as critical for delivery but warns against forcing behaviour change through CPOs; emphasis needed on working with communities and sustainabilityLabour · Voted no · Read full speech (212 words) →
Bill represents over-centralisation by Minister and Deputy PM; opposes most new clauses as they extend CPO powers; calls for improved compensation (New Clause 85) and fairness to farmers and landownersConservatives · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (4,377 words) →
Supports amendments 88/89 on recreational land and New Clause 107 on public land disposal; opposes New Clause 85 as it would double-pay landowners and reduce council housing; backs community-led infrastructure approachLiberal Democrats · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,915 words) →
Amendment 68 would allow councils to acquire land at current use value without hope value to deliver council homes; argues developer-led model has failed to produce affordable housing despite high supplyConservative · Voted no · Read full speech (783 words) →
New Clause 128 should establish community benefit scheme requiring 20% of CPO value paid into local community funds; CPO powers need stronger checks and balances to protect rural communities from industrial energy infrastructureConservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (810 words) →
Amendments 88/89 should extend hope value disregard to recreational facilities; New Clause 107 should allow discounted disposal of public land for public good purposesLiberal Democrats · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,454 words) →
Bill addresses false dichotomy between development and nature; smaller 'little and often' developments vital for rural communities; supports streamlining to enable local projects like affordable housing for school retentionLabour · Voted no · Read full speech (800 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0