Opposition day: Conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
90Ayes
297Noes
Defeated · majority 207 · Government won261 did not vote
648 Members · Aye 90 · No 297 · DNV 261 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
The House of Commons voted on 10 December 2025 on an Opposition Day motion calling for a formal parliamentary censure of the Chancellor of the Exchequer over her conduct and economic stewardship. The motion was defeated by 297 votes to 90. Opposition Day motions are brought by opposition parties and carry no legal force, but they serve as a formal statement of parliamentary opinion and as a test of confidence in a minister. The vote matters because it represents the most direct form of parliamentary criticism short of a formal no-confidence motion in the government. A successful censure would have placed significant political pressure on the Chancellor to resign or on the Prime Minister to defend her position publicly. Its defeat means the government's economic approach, including decisions on spending and taxation that have generated controversy, continues without a formal parliamentary rebuke. The division broke almost entirely along party lines. Conservative MPs voted 86 to 0 in favour of the censure. All Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted rejected it, accounting for all 297 votes against. Reform UK contributed 2 aye votes, and the Ulster Unionist Party added 1. The Liberal Democrats, with 72 members absent and none voting either way, did not participate. Three independents voted aye and three voted no. Thirty Conservatives had no vote recorded.
Voting Aye meant
Support a formal parliamentary censure of the Chancellor, signalling loss of confidence in her conduct and economic stewardship
Voting No meant
Reject the censure motion, defending the Chancellor's conduct and backing the government's economic approach
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 No
0
268
93
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
86
0
30
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
25
17
Independent
—
3
3
7
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
2
0
6
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
0
0
5
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
4
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
0
0
2
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
—
1
0
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
The Chancellor deliberately misled the country on 4 November by highlighting a £16bn productivity downgrade while omitting a larger £32bn upgrade to tax receipts, rolled taxes to build false justification for £26bn increases, breached OBR confidence with leaks, and broke manifesto promises on taxation and welfare.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (5,438 words) →
The Chancellor set out honest circumstances and priorities on 4 November with £4.2bn inadequate headroom; the Budget delivers on all three priorities (NHS, cost of living, debt reduction); the OBR independently confirmed no misleading conduct; the Government is acting seriously on the EFO leak with inquiries and security reviews.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (3,088 words) →
The Budget process was messy with leaks and flip-flopping; both Conservatives and Labour have failed on transparency; a Swedish-style draft Budget system with pre-publication debate should be introduced; the jobs tax is damaging and business rates need reform; growth not just taxation is needed.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,390 words) →
The core issue is loss of trust: the Chancellor knew on 4 November that tax receipts were £16bn higher but presented a misleading picture; this is deceit not spin; broken promises on freezing income tax thresholds contradict manifesto commitments; inflation and high borrowing costs are consequences of the Chancellor's tax decisions.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,435 words) →
The Budget is good for constituents with rail fare freezes, prescription freezes, NHS investment, and wage rises; the motion focuses unhelpfully on process and individuals rather than policy substance; the Chancellor did not mislead on 4 November per OBR confirmation; the two-child cap removal lifts over 1,000 young people out of poverty.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,251 words) →
The Chancellor has a revealed preference for tax hikes (£40bn then £26bn) despite election promises; authorised leaks caused economic damage through changed behaviour; the OBR resignation was justified but distracted from the deeper breach of trust; this pattern of saying one thing and doing another is damaging.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (609 words) →
The Opposition motion inappropriately focuses on process rather than substance; the Budget addresses existential crises (affordability, climate, military preparedness); the Chancellor made difficult choices to deliver affordability and investment; the Government's leadership on these challenges is what matters.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (665 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0