Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 2

On 1 July 2026, the House of Commons voted on New Clause 2 to the Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill during its committee stage. The clause was defeated by 281 votes to 80. No Labour or Labour and Co-operative MPs voted for it; the Ayes came almost entirely from the Liberal Democrats, who provided 55 votes, alongside small contributions from Independents, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, Reform UK, the SNP, Your Party, and Traditional Unionist Voice. The bill covers taxation arrangements relating to energy and vehicles. The Hansard extracts and bill context provided do not contain a detailed description of what New Clause 2 would have done specifically, so its precise policy content cannot be confirmed from the available record. What can be said is that it was a cross-opposition amendment that the government rejected, and the scale of the defeat reflects Labour's large working majority in the chamber. The vote divided almost entirely along government-versus-opposition lines, with every Labour and Labour and Co-operative MP who voted doing so against the clause. The Liberal Democrats were the largest bloc supporting the clause, making it principally a Lib Dem-led challenge. No notable Labour rebels were recorded. The result is consistent with the government's ability to defeat opposition amendments at committee stage when it maintains discipline, as it did here across 278 Labour and Labour and Co-operative No votes combined.