English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill Report Stage: Amendment 85

Parliament defeated Amendment 85 to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on 24 November 2025, by 309 votes to 57. The amendment, tabled by the Liberal Democrats, sought to place tighter constraints on the power of mayors within combined authorities to appoint commissioners, in the name of democratic accountability and preventing an over-concentration of power in mayoral offices. The vote matters because the Bill restructures devolution across England, establishing a new framework of strategic authorities at three levels and giving mayors significant new tools and responsibilities. How those mayors govern, and how much scrutiny they face, is central to whether devolution genuinely disperses power or simply relocates it. The amendment would have imposed restrictions on mayoral commissioner appointments, a mechanism by which mayors can bring in external figures to take on specific responsibilities within their authority. The division followed strict party lines. All 57 Ayes came from the Liberal Democrats, with one independent also voting in favour. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voted unanimously against, providing all 309 Noes. The Conservatives, who hold 116 seats, had no vote recorded. The result reflects the Liberal Democrats' position throughout the Bill's passage that the legislation as drafted concentrates too much power upward rather than outward to communities.