Opposition Day: Stamp Duty Land Tax
103Ayes
329Noes
Defeated · majority 226 · Government won215 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 103 · No 329 · DNV 215 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 28 October 2025 on a Conservative Opposition Day motion concerning Stamp Duty Land Tax, the tax paid when purchasing property in England and Northern Ireland. The motion was defeated by 329 votes to 103. Opposition Day motions are procedural opportunities for parties outside government to force a debate and vote on their chosen policy positions; they do not change the law but carry political significance as public statements of intent. The vote put the Conservative position on stamp duty against the Labour government's current approach to the tax. Stamp Duty Land Tax affects anyone buying residential or commercial property above certain value thresholds, and changes to its rates or thresholds directly affect the cost of buying a home. The precise wording of the motion is not available in the provided material, but the division aligns with Conservative arguments for reducing stamp duty or opposing changes that make buying property more expensive, against Labour's defence of its fiscal approach. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 287 Labour MPs and all 34 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government. All 95 voting Conservatives opposed it, joined by 4 Democratic Unionist Party MPs, 2 Reform UK MPs, 2 independents, and 1 each from the Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice. The Green Party's 4 voting members sided with the government. This vote sits alongside a cluster of related divisions on taxation in late 2025 and early 2026, including votes on employer National Insurance contributions and clauses in the Finance (No. 2) Bill, reflecting a sustained period of parliamentary contestation over tax policy.
Voting Aye meant
Support the Conservative opposition's position on Stamp Duty Land Tax — likely calling for changes to current rates or thresholds, or opposing a recent government decision on the tax.
Voting No meant
Back the Labour government's existing approach to Stamp Duty Land Tax, rejecting the opposition's proposed alternative.
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
0
287
74
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
95
0
21
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
34
8
Independent
—
2
3
8
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
2
0
6
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
4
0
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
0
1
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
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
Stamp duty is a destructive tax blocking housing mobility and growth; abolishing it on primary residences, funded by £47bn of public spending cuts, would unlock the housing market and reverse Labour's economic mismanagement.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,257 words) →
The Conservative motion is reckless and half-baked; abolishing stamp duty costs £14bn annually with no credible funding plan, and represents a return to Liz Truss-style unfunded tax cuts and austerity.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,466 words) →
Stamp duty is flawed but abolishing it in isolation would cost £36-44bn over five years and risks raising house prices; reform must be part of broader tax system overhaul including land value tax and council tax reform.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,451 words) →
Stamp duty is economically harmful and generationally unfair; it destroys market liquidity, deters mobility, and disproportionately burdens younger people building families; abolishing it is essential for growth.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,619 words) →
Stamp duty is bad tax but cannot be cut in isolation; doing so would entrench regional inequality and regressive council tax; reform requires broader conversation including revaluation and higher rates on expensive properties.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,554 words) →
The proposal benefits millionaires most (£150k saving on £2m homes) while 40% of first-time buyers pay no stamp duty; real solutions are building more homes, planning reform, and mortgage guarantees.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (975 words) →
Stamp duty blocks housing market mobility and young people's access; abolishing it unlocks transactions across the entire chain and should be a priority alongside quality housebuilding.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,287 words) →
The £23bn welfare cuts needed to fund the proposal would cause destitution among working families and children; social security cannot be cut further without serious harm.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,057 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0