Motion to sit in private

Parliament voted on a motion to hold its proceedings in private, clearing the public gallery and excluding observers from the debate. The motion was defeated by 33 votes to 1 on 4 July 2025. Such motions are a recognised parliamentary procedure but are almost universally rejected. The vote upholds the principle that parliamentary debate should be conducted in public and remain open to scrutiny by citizens and the press. A successful motion to sit in private would have excluded the public from the gallery for the duration of the session. The defeat means proceedings continued as normal, visible to anyone present or watching. The single Aye vote came from within the Labour Party, which also provided 20 of the 33 No votes. Conservative MPs contributed 7 No votes, Liberal Democrats 4, and Labour and Co-operative MPs 3, with one Independent also voting No. The overwhelming rejection reflects the strong cross-party convention against closing Parliament to the public. The vast majority of members across all parties had no vote recorded.