Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Government amendment (a) to Lords Amendment 2
264Ayes
125Noes
Carried · majority 139 · Government won262 did not vote
651 Members · Aye 264 · No 125 · DNV 262 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
On 13 November 2025, MPs voted on whether to accept a government modification to Lords Amendment 2 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The government's amendment (a) accepted the Lords' concern about heritage in dam and reservoir projects in principle, but stripped out two subsections that would have required listed building consents, conservation area consents, and archaeological site consents to be obtained separately from the main development consent. The motion passed by 264 votes to 125. The practical effect is that heritage protections relating to listed buildings, conservation areas, and archaeological sites in dam and reservoir projects will continue to be considered within the existing nationally significant infrastructure project process rather than through separate consent procedures. The government argued this preserves the "one-stop shop" approach to consenting major infrastructure, which is central to the NSIP regime. Those who preferred the original Lords amendment wanted an additional layer of heritage scrutiny sitting outside the main consent process, giving those protections a formal independent footing. The vote divided almost entirely along government-versus-opposition lines. All 248 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government's version. Conservatives (76) and Liberal Democrats (43) voted against, joined by Reform UK (5) and one independent. The four Green MPs who voted sided with the government, as did two MPs listed under Your Party and one DUP member. The vote fits a pattern visible across the same day's proceedings, in which the government consistently rejected Lords amendments that would have added procedural requirements or separate consent stages to the NSIP regime, winning comparable majorities in related divisions on amendments 1, 3, 32, 33, and 37.
Voting Aye meant
Support the government's modified version of the Lords amendment, which accepts heritage concerns in principle but removes requirements for separate heritage consents in dam and reservoir projects, preserving the streamlined 'one-stop shop' nationally significant infrastructure planning regime.
Voting No meant
Prefer the original Lords amendment as passed, which would have required separate consents for listed buildings, conservation areas and archaeological sites when approving dam or reservoir projects, providing additional heritage protection beyond the existing planning process.
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 Aye
222
0
139
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
76
40
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
43
28
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
26
0
16
Independent
—
7
1
5
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
5
3
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
1
0
4
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
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
0
1
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
0
1
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Government must reject most Lords amendments to preserve streamlined planning process and £7.5bn economic benefit; selective concessions on EV charging and environmental delivery plans reflect proportionate scrutiny, not undermining Bill's core principles.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (7,734 words) →
Bill fails to deliver promised growth, homelessness, and infrastructure; government's centralization of planning power, green belt vulnerability, and failures on business costs (national insurance) are preventing house building despite existing permissions.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,245 words) →
Welcome pragmatic government amendments on environmental delivery plans, but Lords amendment 1 concerns are valid—Select Committees must retain meaningful scrutiny role despite government efficiency arguments.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,012 words) →
Lords amendments 38 and 40 on chalk streams and species protection are essential; EDPs must be limited to strategic landscape scales; centralization of power via clause 51 removes essential local democratic accountability.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (1,748 words) →
Supports government's reflective amendment procedure for efficiency but requires firm reassurances: ministers must appear before Select Committees reliably, engage early with Committees, and clock should count only sitting days.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,346 words) →
Lords amendment 40 must be accepted; species and habitats cannot be traded away through strategic EDPs—environmental delivery plans unsuited to protecting site-specific biodiversity and declining species.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (719 words) →
Minister's reassurances on chalk stream protection via national policy are insufficient and undelivered; statutory protection through Lords amendment 38 or equivalent concrete commitment needed, not vague future intentions.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,430 words) →
Lords amendment 1 concerns justified—Select Committees need genuine opportunity to scrutinize major infrastructure via national policy statements; government claims proportionate scrutiny do not adequately address reduced committee time.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,762 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0