Draft Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026
329Ayes
94Noes
Carried · majority 235 · Government won230 did not vote
653 Members · Aye 329 · No 94 · DNV 230 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 24 June 2026 to approve the Draft Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026, passing the measure by 329 votes to 94. The regulations bring international aviation and international shipping within the scope of the Climate Change Act 2008, meaning emissions from those sectors are formally counted toward the United Kingdom's legally binding carbon budgets. The practical effect is significant. International aviation and shipping have historically sat outside the UK's statutory climate accounting framework. Including them tightens the legal obligations on government to manage and reduce those emissions, and means any future carbon budgets must account for sectors that represent a substantial share of transport-related greenhouse gas output. The regulations align with two related orders approved on the same day covering the broader carbon budget framework, suggesting a coordinated package of climate legislation. The vote divided sharply along party lines. Labour, Labour and Co-operative, Liberal Democrat, Green, and Plaid Cymru members all voted in favour, with no recorded votes against from those parties. Conservatives provided the bulk of opposition with 86 votes against, joined by 6 Reform UK members, 1 Democratic Unionist Party member, and 1 independent. Around 125 Labour members and 21 Liberal Democrats had no vote recorded. The division sits alongside two closely related votes on the same day, the Draft Carbon Budget Order 2026 and the Draft Climate Change Act 2008 (Credit Limit) Order 2026, which passed by similar margins, pointing to a broader legislative effort to update the statutory climate framework.
Voting Aye meant
Support bringing international aviation and shipping emissions within the UK's statutory climate framework, strengthening legal commitments to reduce carbon from these sectors.
Voting No meant
Oppose including international aviation and shipping in the Climate Change Act's carbon budgets, likely citing concerns about economic competitiveness, costs to industry, or the appropriateness of domestic regulation for international sectors.
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 Aye
235
0
125
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
86
30
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
50
0
21
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
27
0
15
Independent
—
2
1
10
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
6
2
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
7
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
0
1
4
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
0
1
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
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0