Pension Schemes Bill: New Clause 26

Parliament voted on 3 December 2025 on New Clause 26 to the Pension Schemes Bill, which would have required the Secretary of State to commission an independent review, within three months of the Act passing, into pension losses suffered by former employees of AEA Technology. Those workers transferred their accrued pension benefits out of the UK Atomic Energy Authority public service scheme when the company was privatised in 1996, and later suffered losses when AEA Technology went into administration in 2012 and its pension scheme entered the Pension Protection Fund. The amendment was defeated by 298 votes to 77. The practical effect of the amendment, had it passed, would have been to compel a formal independent examination of the government's role in those pension transfers during privatisation, the adequacy of safeguards given to workers at the time, and whether affected individuals deserve additional compensation beyond what they received through the Pension Protection Fund. By defeating the amendment, Parliament blocked that mandated review, meaning the government faces no legal obligation to revisit the case. Workers who lost pension value in the 2012 collapse retain whatever PPF compensation they currently receive, with no new process to assess whether that was sufficient. The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 266 Labour MPs and all 26 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted did so against the amendment. The Liberal Democrats provided the largest bloc of support, with 62 of their MPs voting in favour; the Scottish National Party contributed 5 ayes, Plaid Cymru 4, and the Greens 2, along with smaller groupings. No Conservative votes appear in the party breakdown, which is notable given the bill's passage through a Labour-led Commons. Three independents voted on each side. The result reflects a pattern visible in related votes on welfare and pensions during this parliamentary period, where the government has held its majority comfortably against opposition amendments.