Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill Committee: New Clause 2
65Ayes
257Noes
Defeated · majority 192 · Government won328 did not vote
650 Members · Aye 65 · No 257 · DNV 328 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 8 June 2026 to reject New Clause 2 during the committee stage of the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill. The clause was defeated by 257 votes to 65. Committee stage is the point in the legislative process where MPs examine a bill line by line and propose additions or changes. New Clause 2 would have imposed additional requirements on the Secretary of State before exercising powers under the Bill. Labour MP Alan Strickland, speaking in favour of the Bill as drafted, grouped New Clause 2 alongside amendments 2, 3, 18 and 19 as measures that would slow down ministerial decision-making. The minister, Chris McDonald, made the same argument: that requiring extra steps before the Secretary of State could act would reduce speed, create uncertainty for employees and supply chain businesses, and risk damaging access to trade finance for companies relying on the steel industry. The Liberal Democrats supplied almost all of the votes for New Clause 2, with 61 of their MPs voting aye. Three Democratic Unionist Party MPs and one Ulster Unionist Party MP and one Traditional Unionist Voice MP also voted for it. Every Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party MP who voted came down against it, providing the bulk of the 257 noes. This division sits within a series of similar votes during the same committee session, all of which followed the same pattern: Liberal Democrat and some smaller party MPs pressing for additional constraints on ministerial powers, with Labour voting them down to preserve the Bill's speed and flexibility.
Voting Aye meant
Support imposing additional procedural checks on the Secretary of State before exercising nationalisation powers, prioritising parliamentary accountability and limiting executive discretion over the pace of intervention.
Voting No meant
Oppose adding procedural hurdles that would slow government action, backing the Bill as drafted to allow ministers to intervene quickly when the national interest demands it.
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
226
134
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
0
0
116
Liberal Democrats
Voted Aye
60
0
11
Labour and Co-operative Party
Voted No
0
24
18
Independent
—
2
1
10
Reform UK
—
0
1
7
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
7
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Voted Aye
3
0
2
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
5
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
—
1
0
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 no_vote_recorded · 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 aye · 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 no_vote_recorded · 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_vote_recorded · Read full speech (789 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0