Opposition Day: Youth unemployment
91Ayes
287Noes
Defeated · majority 196 · Government won270 did not vote
648 Members · Aye 91 · No 287 · DNV 270 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 28 January 2026 on an Opposition Day motion on youth unemployment, brought forward by the Conservatives. The motion called for action on young people out of work or training, framing it as a criticism of the government's record. It was defeated by 287 votes to 91. The vote does not change law or policy directly. Opposition Day motions are a parliamentary tool that allows the party out of government to force a debate and vote on a chosen topic, but even if passed they carry no binding effect. The practical significance is political: the result signals whether the government faces pressure on an issue and whether it can hold its MPs together. Youth unemployment, covering young people who are neither employed nor in education or training, touches on issues of skills provision, benefits policy, and economic opportunity for a generation entering the labour market. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 283 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the No lobby, while all 91 Conservative MPs who voted backed the Aye lobby. The Liberal Democrats, with 72 MPs, had no vote recorded for any member, neither supporting nor opposing the motion. One independent and one Democratic Unionist Party MP voted Aye. The result reflects the standard dynamic of Opposition Day votes, where the government uses its majority to defeat the motion and deny the opposition a symbolic win, regardless of the underlying policy substance.
Voting Aye meant
Support the opposition's motion calling for action on youth unemployment, signalling concern that the government is not doing enough to tackle young people out of work or training.
Voting No meant
Reject the opposition's framing of the youth unemployment issue, with Labour MPs voting down the motion to avoid handing a political win to the Conservatives.
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
251
110
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
91
0
25
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
32
10
Independent
—
1
3
9
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
—
0
0
8
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
1
0
4
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
—
0
0
1
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Youth unemployment is a disaster of Labour's making, caused by the National Insurance jobs tax, business rates hikes, and Employment Rights Act; government should scrap these policies and back businesses to create jobs instead of running programmes.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,681 words) →
Conservatives left nearly 1 million young people NEET after 14 years; Labour is investing £1.5bn in Youth Guarantee, youth hubs, and skills to break the cycle and create opportunities.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (3,485 words) →
Youth unemployment stems from Conservative economic mismanagement and lack of skills investment; National Insurance and business rates hikes are damaging businesses; recommends skills reform, VAT cuts for hospitality, and UK-EU customs union.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,025 words) →
Youth unemployment at 15.9% is at a 10-year high; Employment Rights Act will discourage hiring of young people; apprenticeships are being diluted; government should reduce regulation and costs rather than run short-term programmes.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,531 words) →
Young people faced Brexit, pandemic chaos, and Liz Truss's economic mismanagement; Labour's strong economy, Employment Rights Act, jobs guarantee, and living wage rise demonstrate commitment to youth support.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,028 words) →
National Insurance tax and business rates are crippling businesses' ability to hire young people; Conservatives halved youth unemployment in office; Government should cut taxes on under-25s and reduce employment regulation.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,220 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0