Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill Committee: Amendment 12
81Ayes
266Noes
Defeated · majority 185 · Government won297 did not vote
644 Members · Aye 81 · No 266 · DNV 297 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 8 June 2026 on Amendment 12 to the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill at committee stage, the detailed line-by-line scrutiny phase of the bill's passage. The amendment, tabled by the Conservative opposition, would have removed provisions allowing the government to extend the bill's sunset clause (the built-in expiry date on the nationalisation powers) repeatedly, ensuring those powers remained strictly time-limited. The amendment was defeated by 266 votes to 81. The bill gives the government powers to bring parts of the UK steel industry into public ownership. At issue in this vote was how long those powers should last. Amendment 12 would have prevented the government from extending the sunset clause again and again, which supporters argued was necessary to stop open-ended state intervention without a clear exit strategy. The government and its supporters opposed the change, arguing that removing the flexibility to extend the powers would create uncertainty for the industry and potentially leave future governments unable to intervene if the steel sector faced further crises. The vote divided along clear party lines. All 266 votes against the amendment came from Labour, Labour and Co-operative, Green, Plaid Cymru, Democratic Unionist Party, and other smaller parties supporting the government. All 81 votes in favour came from the Conservatives, with one independent also voting aye. Reform UK, despite having members present on other votes, had no vote recorded in favour of the amendment, with one Reform MP voting no. The result fits a pattern of consistent Conservative defeat on amendments to this bill across the committee sessions on 8 and 9 June 2026.
Voting Aye meant
Support limiting the government's nationalisation powers with a hard time limit, preventing open-ended state intervention in the steel industry without a clear exit strategy.
Voting No meant
Oppose restricting the government's ability to renew intervention powers, arguing that long-term industrial policy requires flexibility and that removing this option would create uncertainty for the steel sector.
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 party-line column is inferred from how cohesively each party voted, not a published whip: a clear one-way majority of a party’s voters reads as a line, a close division reads as “Split”.
Party
Party line
Aye / No / Abs
Aye
No
Abs
Labour Party
Voted No
0
225
135
Conservative and Unionist Party
Voted Aye
81
0
35
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Voted No
0
24
18
Independent
—
1
2
10
Reform UK
—
0
1
7
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
7
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Voted No
0
3
2
Green Party of England and Wales
Voted No
0
5
0
Plaid Cymru
Voted No
0
4
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
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
—
0
1
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · party line inferred from voting cohesion, not a published whip; “Split” = a close within-party division
Bill exposes taxpayers to unlimited liability; amendments needed to narrow steel undertaking definition, restrict public interest test, require independent assessment and NAO value-for-money check, and limit sunset clause extension.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,988 words) →
Bill's broad powers modelled on Banking Act 2009 and essential for swift intervention in market failure; wide definition of steel undertaking and public interest test provide needed flexibility; government will exercise powers proportionately.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (5,966 words) →
Supports temporary nationalisation as rescue measure but demands parliamentary accountability through statement requirement, affirmative procedure for regulations, stakeholder advisory committee, and jobs transition strategy.Liberal Democrats · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,339 words) →
Secretary of state's powers in clauses 1–3 are too broad; definition of steel undertaking could catch tangential steelmakers, public interest test is undefined and expansible, and indefinite sunset extension negates the purpose of a sunset clause.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,952 words) →
Supports nationalisation and bill's swift passage; opposes conservative amendments as bureaucratic delays that would prevent necessary investment; calls for 10-year strategy, pro-British steel procurement, and blast furnace commitment.Reform UK · Voted no · Read full speech (1,510 words) →
Supports bill as historic reversal of industry neglect; praises steel strategy and £2.5bn investment; urges government to ensure trade measures do not inadvertently harm downstream businesses and steel stockholders.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,176 words) →
Bill's speed and flexibility are essential; amendments imposing prerequisites would cumulatively hamper swift action; nationalisation means strategic acquisition with independent board, not day-to-day government control; supports transparency balanced against commercial sensitivity.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,772 words) →
Amendment 23 would guarantee protection of Welsh steel jobs and sites; Port Talbot was allowed to close when government could have intervened; Welsh steel deserves equal protection as English and Scottish sites.Plaid Cymru · Voted no · Read full speech (789 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0