Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 39
35Ayes
469Noes
Defeated · majority 434 · Government won145 did not vote
649 Members · Aye 35 · No 469 · DNV 145 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Amendment 39 to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill was defeated at committee stage on 9 July 2025, by 469 votes to 35. The overwhelming majority voted against the amendment, with only a small cross-party group supporting it. The Bill is one of the government's major welfare reform measures. The committee stage is the line-by-line scrutiny phase, and Amendment 39 was one of several amendments considered on the same day. The detailed content of Amendment 39 is not set out in the available record, but the vote sits within a broader series of divisions on the same day concerning the Bill's provisions on Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment. The government's position was to oppose the amendment, and the result reflects that clearly. Nine Labour MPs voted for the amendment, breaking with the government. The Scottish National Party (9 ayes), Plaid Cymru (4 ayes), and the Green Party (4 ayes) all voted in favour, as did 6 Independent MPs and 2 Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives, Reform UK, and the Democratic Unionist Party all voted against alongside Labour's main bloc, making this a rare alignment between the opposition right and the government. The Liberal Democrats had 70 members with no vote recorded.
Voting Aye meant
Support Amendment 39 to the Universal Credit and PIP Bill, the specific content of which is not available from the division record alone
Voting No meant
Oppose Amendment 39 to the Universal Credit and PIP Bill, with the overwhelming majority — almost certainly including the Labour government — voting it down
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
9
316
36
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
93
23
Liberal Democrats
—
1
0
70
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
41
1
Independent
—
7
5
1
Scottish National Party
Whipped Aye
9
0
0
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
5
3
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
4
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
2
0
0
Your Party
—
2
0
0
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
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
The Bill is fundamentally flawed and should be substantially amended or withdrawn; government should fund improvements through wealth tax rather than cutting disabled support; clause 2 cuts are unjustified and clause 3 freezes are harmful.Green · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,306 words) →
While welcoming recent government concessions protecting existing claimants, supports delay of UC health changes from April to November 2026 to allow NHS and labour market reforms to take effect; amendments 2(b) and associated amendments are necessary compromises.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (955 words) →
Bill is unaffordable, locks in unfunded spending commitments, fails to address fraud or tie uplifts to employment support, and will ultimately result in higher taxes on working families; amendments 41 and new clause 9 needed for parliamentary control and fraud accountability.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,443 words) →
Bill breaches UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities; £2 billion in cuts will devastate those with fluctuating conditions; clauses 2 and 3 should be withdrawn; amendment 38 essential to protect people with remitting conditions.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (917 words) →
Government should clarify Timms review aims, ensure co-production with dignity at centre, and fix severe conditions criteria wording discrepancy; Bill represents wrong approach given better fiscal options available.SNP · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,083 words) →
Health element cuts will harm vulnerable people with additional medical costs; system needs compassion and expert input in decision-making.DUP · Voted no · Read full speech (220 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0