Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords]: Revival

The House of Commons voted on 15 June 2026 on whether to revive the Royal Albert Hall Bill [Lords], a private Bill (legislation promoted by a specific body rather than the government) that had lapsed after failing to complete its parliamentary passage within a single session. Under Standing Order 188B, the promoter required the House's permission to continue the Bill in the current session rather than start again from scratch. The motion was defeated by 37 votes to 24. The Bill concerns the governance and ticketing arrangements of the Royal Albert Hall, a registered charity. A central issue is the status of "seat holders": individuals who own perpetual rights to seats or boxes at the venue, some of which are now advertised for resale at prices reaching several million pounds. The Bill, which had already passed through the Lords and cleared a Commons committee, sought to make changes to how the hall is run, including provisions relating to ticket resale. Defeating the revival motion blocks the Bill from proceeding further in this session. Conservative MPs provided almost all of the 24 votes in favour, with 23 Ayes from that party. Opposition came primarily from Labour MPs, 22 of whom voted no, joined by 10 Liberal Democrats, 4 Greens, and 2 Democratic Unionist Party members. The vast majority of MPs across all parties had no vote recorded. The debate exposed a cross-party divide over whether the hall's governance and the seat-holding system serve the public interest, with Conservative former minister Sir John Whittingdale speaking in support and Labour's Emily Thornberry among those raising concerns about the private benefits accruing to seat holders in what is also a publicly subsidised charity.