Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill: Reasoned Amendment at Second Reading
149Ayes
328Noes
Defeated · majority 179 · Government won168 did not vote
645 Members · Aye 149 · No 328 · DNV 168 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 1 July 2025 on a reasoned amendment to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at its Second Reading. A reasoned amendment is a procedural motion that, if passed, would have blocked the Bill from advancing by formally recording objections to it. The amendment was defeated by 328 votes to 149, allowing the Bill to proceed to further parliamentary scrutiny. The vote determines whether the government's proposed changes to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can continue through Parliament. By defeating the blocking amendment, MPs cleared the way for the Bill to move forward. The reforms affect claimants of two major disability and out-of-work benefits, meaning the outcome has direct consequences for some of the most financially vulnerable people in the country. The Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Greens, and the Democratic Unionist Party all voted in favour of the blocking amendment. Reform UK had three MPs vote to block the Bill, with five recording no vote. The most striking feature of the division was a Labour rebellion: 43 Labour MPs and 2 Labour and Co-operative MPs voted with the amendment against their own government's Bill, while 326 voted to allow it to proceed. Several Independents also voted to block the Bill. The vote reflects sustained internal pressure on the Labour government over its welfare reform agenda, which continued in subsequent divisions including an Opposition Day debate on welfare on 15 July 2025.
Voting Aye meant
Support blocking the Universal Credit and PIP Bill from progressing, signalling opposition to the government's proposed changes to these benefits
Voting No meant
Oppose the blocking amendment and allow the Bill to proceed to further scrutiny, backing the government's welfare reform agenda
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
43
290
28
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
0
0
116
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
69
0
2
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
2
36
4
Independent
—
9
3
1
Scottish National Party
Whipped Aye
9
0
0
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
3
0
5
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
Your Party
—
2
0
0
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
1
0
0
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
1
0
0
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
Defended the Bill as essential welfare reform to fix a broken system, protect those with severe conditions, and increase employment support to £1 billion annually; acknowledged concerns and made concessions to protect existing PIP claimants.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (3,079 words) →
Opposed the Bill as a rushed, incoherent attempt to plug the Chancellor's fiscal hole; argued welfare spending is spiralling unsustainably and the Bill will not achieve meaningful reform or get people into work.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (3,060 words) →
Moved a reasoned amendment backed by 138 disabled people's organisations, arguing the Bill lacks proper consultation, co-production, and evidence; warned it will push 150,000 into poverty and cause harm to vulnerable constituents.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,642 words) →
Supported the reasoned amendment, criticising the Bill's two-tier approach as unjust and unBritish; called for proper consultation and co-design with disabled groups before proceeding.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (918 words) →
Acknowledged positive measures but expressed serious concerns about harm to newly disabled people and the predetermined four-point PIP criterion; urged the Government to remove the four-point reference and delay UC LCWRA changes.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,428 words) →
Strongly opposed the Bill, warning that voting for it will push 150,000 into poverty and damage the Labour brand; cited the failure of the 2015 Welfare Reform Bill and warned constituents will not forgive support for rushed harmful legislation.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (940 words) →
Opposed the Bill as tinkering that saves only 1% of welfare spending and lacks a coherent reform strategy; argued the Government should pause and design a proper multi-stage assessment process.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,112 words) →
Opposed the Bill, voicing constituent concerns about rushed changes without consultation; warned it will increase poverty, worsen mental health, and undermine employment prospects for disabled people.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,531 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0