Opposition day: Welfare spending
92Ayes
403Noes
Defeated · majority 311 · Government won155 did not vote
650 Members · Aye 92 · No 403 · DNV 155 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 4 November 2025 on an opposition day motion concerning welfare spending. The motion was brought by the Conservatives, giving them the opportunity to force a Commons debate and vote on the government's approach to welfare policy. It was defeated by 403 votes to 92. The vote marks a formal parliamentary challenge to the Labour government's direction on welfare and benefits. Opposition day motions do not change the law directly, but they put the government on record and test how far its majority holds. A defeat for the motion means Labour's approach to welfare spending continues without a Commons censure, while the Conservatives' alternative position was rejected. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 90 Conservative MPs who voted backed the motion, joined by one independent. Every Labour, Labour and Co-operative, Liberal Democrat, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Green, DUP, and Your Party MP who voted went through the No lobby. There were no notable cross-party rebels and no Labour members defected to support the Conservative motion.
Voting Aye meant
Support the opposition's position on welfare spending, likely arguing for a different approach to welfare policy than the current Labour government is pursuing.
Voting No meant
Reject the opposition's motion on welfare spending, backing the Labour government's existing approach to welfare and benefits policy.
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
283
78
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
90
0
26
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
55
16
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
34
8
Independent
—
1
6
6
Scottish National Party
Whipped No
0
8
1
Reform UK
—
2
0
6
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
3
2
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
3
1
Plaid Cymru
Whipped No
0
4
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
1
1
Your Party
—
0
2
0
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
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Shadow Secretary of State calling for £23bn welfare cuts via stricter eligibility, face-to-face assessments, Motability reform, and retention of two-child cap to make work pay and reduce dependencyConservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,756 words) →
Minister for Social Security defending active, pro-work welfare system with £1bn Pathways to Work guarantee, skills integration, and PIP review to support disabled people into employment rather than cut benefitsLabour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,625 words) →
Criticises both Conservatives' punitive record and Labour's NHS cuts; welcomes some welfare reforms but opposes two-child benefit cap as heartless, citing child poverty concernsLiberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (931 words) →
Attacks Conservative welfare record of 800,000 people leaving labour market; defends Labour's employment gains (730,000 more in work, 360,000 fewer economically inactive)Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (643 words) →
Argues welfare has become a trap not safety net; defends two-child cap as fair to taxpayers and necessary to incentivise work over benefitsConservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (873 words) →
Condemns Conservative 14-year record of cruel sanctions and destitution; advocates creating good jobs and training support rather than punitive welfare restrictionsLabour · Voted no · Read full speech (759 words) →
Criticises both major parties for broken welfare system; argues welfare must reduce child poverty and support low-wage workers, not demonise claimantsScottish National Party · Voted no · Read full speech (916 words) →
Defends Conservative moral case for welfare reform based on dignity of work and fairness; argues £2,500-£5,000 disparity between sickness benefits and minimum wage creates perverse incentivesConservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,977 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0