Representation of the People Bill: Reasoned Amendment
105Ayes
410Noes
Defeated · majority 305 · Government won134 did not vote
649 Members · Aye 105 · No 410 · DNV 134 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 2 March 2026 to reject a Conservative reasoned amendment that sought to block the Representation of the People Bill at Second Reading. A reasoned amendment is a procedural device that, if passed, would have prevented the Bill from proceeding further by formally objecting to its principles. The amendment was defeated by 410 votes to 105, allowing the Bill to advance. The Bill covers seven areas of electoral law. Its most prominent provision lowers the voting age to 16 for UK parliamentary elections, local elections in England and Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Assembly elections, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, with pre-registration permitted from age 14. It also introduces automatic voter registration, expands accepted voter ID to include named UK bank cards, tightens political finance rules through "Know Your Donor" due diligence requirements, extends the Electoral Commission's civil enforcement powers, and creates new protections for candidates and electoral staff facing intimidatory offences. Defeating the Conservative amendment clears the way for the Bill to enter detailed scrutiny at later stages. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 97 voting Conservative MPs backed the reasoned amendment, as did six of the eight voting Reform UK MPs and one independent. Every voting Labour, Labour and Co-operative, Liberal Democrat, SNP, Green, Plaid Cymru, and Your Party MP opposed it. No Conservative or Reform UK MP voted against the amendment. The Bill's measures were included in the Labour manifesto at the 2024 general election, and the government framed the legislation as fulfilling a manifesto commitment to modernise and secure British elections.
Voting Aye meant
Oppose the Bill, rejecting measures such as votes at 16, automatic voter registration, and expanded electoral regulation on grounds of principle or practicality
Voting No meant
Support the Bill proceeding, backing votes at 16, automatic registration, tighter donation rules, and stronger protections for candidates and electoral staff
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
298
63
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
97
0
19
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
57
14
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
33
9
Independent
—
1
5
7
Scottish National Party
Whipped No
0
7
2
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
6
0
2
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
2
0
3
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped No
0
4
1
Plaid Cymru
—
0
2
2
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
1
1
Your Party
—
0
2
0
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
1
0
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
Government proposing the Bill as essential modernization to protect democracy from foreign interference, extend the franchise to 16-17 year-olds, introduce automatic voter registration, and tighten donation rules while protecting candidates from intimidation.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (3,356 words) →
Tabled reasoned amendment opposing Second Reading on grounds that lowering the voting age contradicts legal definitions of childhood, automatic registration risks electoral fraud, the Bill lacks proper cross-party consultation, and should await the Rycroft review; reserves right to vote it down at later stages.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,685 words) →
Supporting Second Reading and voting against the reasoned amendment, but criticizing the Bill as insufficiently ambitious—lacks donation caps, fails to scrap voter ID requirements, does not address first-past-the-post electoral system, and leaves foreign interference gaps.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (2,030 words) →
Strong support for the Bill as necessary to rebuild trust in democracy, protect candidates from harassment, introduce 'know your donor' checks, and bring votes to 16; emphasizes the scale of intimidation in the 2024 election and responsibility to safeguard democracy for future generations.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,043 words) →
Concerned that the Bill is more gesture than substance, risks judicial review via phased automatic enrolment across different areas, lacks clarity on rollout timing relative to boundary redistribution, and should have addressed Commonwealth voting rights.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (952 words) →
Long-time advocate for votes at 16 celebrating the Bill's delivery on a Labour manifesto commitment; emphasizes young people's maturity, tax-paying status, and international precedent, and urges strong citizenship education alongside the franchise extension.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (992 words) →
Raises concern about cryptocurrency loopholes in political donations and praises the Government's commitment to review and amend the Bill before passage to close this gap.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,241 words) →
Welcomes the Bill and intends to table an amendment banning donations from fossil fuel companies, citing their pernicious role in undermining climate action.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (80 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0