Railways Bill: Second Reading
329Ayes
173Noes
Carried · majority 156 · Government won146 did not vote
648 Members · Aye 329 · No 173 · DNV 146 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 9 December 2025 to give the Railways Bill its Second Reading, approving the core principle of the legislation by 329 votes to 173. A Second Reading is the first major Commons vote on a bill, establishing whether the House accepts its general purpose before detailed scrutiny begins. The Bill passed comfortably, clearing the way for its provisions to be examined line by line in committee. The Railways Bill creates Great British Railways (GBR), a new publicly owned body that will merge responsibility for rail infrastructure with the operation of most passenger train services. The Government has argued this integration can save up to 150 million pounds a year in management fees previously paid to private operators, with that money reinvested in services. The Bill also gives GBR powers to set fares, consolidates ticketing into a single retail platform, creates a strengthened Passenger Watchdog, and requires publication of a long-term rail strategy and a freight growth target. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 317 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the Bill. Conservatives (94 votes), Liberal Democrats (64 votes), Plaid Cymru (4), the Democratic Unionist Party (4), and one Restore Britain MP all voted against. The Greens (3 votes) and six independents voted with the Government. Reform UK split two each way, with four members recording no vote. Earlier in the same sitting, the House rejected a Conservative reasoned amendment opposing the Bill by 332 votes to 170, making the outcome of the Second Reading vote itself unsurprising.
Voting Aye meant
Support renationalising Britain's railways by creating Great British Railways, integrating track and train under public ownership to improve services and cut private management fees.
Voting No meant
Oppose the Railways Bill's approach to rail renationalisation, questioning whether public ownership will deliver the improvements passengers need and raising concerns about performance under already-nationalised operators.
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
283
0
78
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
94
22
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
63
8
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
34
0
8
Independent
—
6
4
3
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped No
2
2
4
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
4
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
3
0
1
Plaid Cymru
Whipped No
0
4
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
1
0
1
Your Party
—
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
1
0
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
1
0
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
Supports the Bill as essential reform to unify fragmented railways, eliminate private profit, reduce management costs, and prioritise passengers through public ownership under GBR with stronger passenger watchdog.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,434 words) →
Opposes the Bill as ideological state control that weakens independent regulation, eliminates competition from open access operators, increases taxpayer subsidy without guaranteeing better services, and lacks performance standards.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (3,316 words) →
Acknowledges need for rail reform but opposes Bill as written; concerns include lack of passenger growth targets, excessive state micromanagement (citing DfT failures), insufficient protection for open access and freight, and vague criteria for access charges.Liberal Democrats · Voted no · Read full speech (2,295 words) →
Welcomes Bill as overdue reform ending 30 years of fragmentation; welcomes passenger watchdog and accessibility duties but seeks clarification on watchdog independence, disabled passenger protections, and conflict-of-interest safeguards.Labour (Transport Committee Chair) · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,146 words) →
Opposes full nationalisation; supports uniting track and train (Conservative 2023 plan) but via concessionary model like TfL, not ideology-driven state control, and criticises lack of protections for Isle of Wight ferry connections.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,036 words) →
Strongly supports Bill; welcomes unified system allowing better planning, increased investment in south-west branches, Devon Metro proposal, and resilience improvements while supporting open access operators.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,031 words) →
Challenges government claim that nationalisation improves services; points to South Western Railway worsening (delays, cancellations) since public takeover in 2024.Liberal Democrats · Voted no · Read full speech (87 words) →
Questions whether passengers care about organisational structure versus tangible improvements; notes 50% increase in SWR cancellations and 29% increase in delays since renationalisation.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (122 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0