King's Speech Motion for an Address

Parliament approved the King's Speech on 20 May 2026, passing the Motion for an Address by 307 votes to 171. The King's Speech sets out the government's legislative programme for the coming parliamentary session, and the vote to approve it is a fundamental test of whether the government retains the confidence of the House of Commons. The result confirmed that the Labour government, led by Sir Keir Starmer, commands a working majority. The vote matters because approving the King's Speech gives the government a mandate to proceed with the bills and policies announced in the speech. A defeat would have constituted a confidence crisis, potentially triggering a general election or a change of government. The passage of the motion means the government can now bring forward the legislation outlined in the speech, affecting policy across whatever areas the speech addressed. Labour and its Co-operative Party allies provided all 302 votes on the winning side, with three independents also backing the motion. The Conservatives (88 votes), Liberal Democrats (60), Scottish National Party (7), Reform UK (5), and a handful of smaller parties and independents all voted against. The vote followed a multi-day debate during which the opposition tabled several amendments, all of which were defeated. An amendment labelled (l) was rejected 408 to 78 on the same day, amendments (o) and (p) were each defeated by margins of around 210 votes, and an earlier amendment (i) was defeated 323 to 108 on 19 May. The comfortable margin of 136 on the main vote reflects a government with a solid parliamentary majority, and the result is consistent with the outcome of a privilege vote on 28 April 2026, in which the government also prevailed.