Renters’ Rights Bill: Motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 19

What happened: On 8 September 2025, the House of Commons voted by 336 ayes to 158 noes to reject Lords Amendment 19 to the Renters' Rights Bill. This was a motion to disagree with a change the House of Lords had made to the bill, meaning MPs voted to remove that amendment and restore the bill's original wording on the relevant provision. The government won the vote, but the margin was notably narrower than on several other Lords amendments considered the same day.

Why it matters: The Renters' Rights Bill is a major piece of housing legislation intended to overhaul the private rented sector in England. By rejecting Lords Amendment 19, the Commons maintained its preferred version of the bill on whatever provision this amendment addressed, keeping the legislation on its original policy course. The vote contributes to the overall passage of the bill through its parliamentary stages, with the Lords and Commons continuing to negotiate the final shape of the law through a process known as ping-pong, where the two chambers exchange the bill until they reach agreement.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 321 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government, and they were joined by the Democratic Unionists, the Greens, and a handful of independents. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Reform UK all voted against the government. The 158 noes represent a meaningfully larger opposition than the 93, 97, or 98 noes recorded against other Lords amendments on the same day, suggesting this particular amendment attracted broader cross-party sympathy in the Lords and more determined opposition from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the Commons.