English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill Report Stage: New Clause 29

What happened: On 24 November 2025, Parliament voted on New Clause 29 to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill at Report Stage. The clause was defeated by 311 votes to 74. Report Stage is the phase of parliamentary scrutiny where the full House of Commons considers proposed changes to a bill after it has been examined line by line in committee.

Why it matters: The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is the government's flagship legislation for transferring power from central government to regional mayors and local communities across England. New Clause 29 sought to add provisions beyond the government's existing devolution framework, in the area of local government powers or democratic arrangements. Its defeat means those additional provisions will not be incorporated into the bill, and the government's original framework remains intact. The broader bill touches on matters affecting a wide range of people and institutions, including local authorities facing reorganisation, communities seeking protection for valued local assets, businesses affected by planning and licensing decisions, and residents in both urban and rural areas who will be governed by newly empowered regional mayors.

The politics: The vote divided almost entirely along government-versus-opposition lines. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs provided virtually all 311 votes against the clause, while the Liberal Democrats supplied the largest bloc of the 74 votes in favour, joined by a handful of independents, Green MPs, and a very small number of Labour rebels. The Conservative benches were largely absent. The defeat sits within a pattern visible across the bill's Report Stage, with related new clauses on 25 November 2025 also being heavily defeated. Throughout debate, opposition MPs argued the bill represents centralisation rather than genuine devolution, while the government maintained it represents the largest transfer of power out of Whitehall in a generation.