Mental Health Bill Report Stage New Clause 26

What happened: The House of Commons voted on 14 October 2025 on New Clause 26, a proposed addition to the Mental Health Bill at report stage (the detailed scrutiny phase when MPs can propose changes to a bill after it leaves committee). The clause would have expanded the scope of the government's mental health legislation. MPs rejected it by 327 votes to 78, a majority of 249 against.

Why it matters: The Mental Health Bill is the government's flagship legislation aimed at reforming how mental health care is provided and regulated in England and Wales. New Clause 26 sought to add further provisions beyond what the government had included, potentially extending patient rights or healthcare commitments. Its defeat means the bill continues on the government's preferred terms, without the additional obligations or protections the clause would have introduced. Those who supported the clause argued the bill did not go far enough; those who voted against maintained the government's version was the right framework.

The politics: The vote divided sharply along government-versus-opposition lines, with Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party MPs voting overwhelmingly against the clause at the government's direction, producing 324 combined no votes and only one Labour aye. The Liberal Democrats provided the backbone of support with 62 of the 78 aye votes, joined by six independents, three Reform UK MPs, three Green MPs, two DUP members, and one each from the Alliance Party and Your Party. One Labour MP broke with the party to vote in favour, the sole government-side rebel. This division was one of several on the same day, following similar defeats for Amendment 40 (163 ayes to 339 noes) and Amendment 41 (164 ayes to 333 noes), suggesting a consistent pattern of the government successfully defending its bill against cross-opposition efforts to widen its scope.