Public Office (Accountability) Bill Report Stage: Amendment 3
93Ayes
323Noes
Defeated · majority 230 · Government won233 did not vote
649 Members · Aye 93 · No 323 · DNV 233 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
The House of Commons voted on 14 July 2026 to reject Amendment 3 to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill at Report Stage, the stage at which MPs debate and vote on proposed changes to a bill before it receives its final reading. The amendment was defeated by 323 votes to 93. The bill concerns accountability for those holding public office, and the amendment would have altered one of its provisions, though the detailed content of what Amendment 3 specifically proposed is not set out in the available record. Whatever its precise purpose, the vote's outcome means the bill proceeds toward its final stages without this change incorporated, and the underlying policy question the amendment raised remains unresolved in law. The vote divided almost entirely along a government versus opposition pattern. Labour and the Labour and Co-operative Party provided virtually all of the 323 votes against the amendment, with no votes recorded for the amendment from either group. The 93 votes in favour came from the Liberal Democrats, who supplied the largest share at 54, alongside the SNP, the Greens, Plaid Cymru, the DUP, Reform UK, several independents, and two members from Your Party. Seven Labour MPs voted for the amendment, a small but notable departure from the government line.
Voting Aye meant
Support Amendment 3 to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, proposing a change to how the bill holds public officeholders to account
Voting No meant
Oppose Amendment 3, preferring the bill as it stood without this particular change to public office accountability provisions
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 No
7
285
68
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
0
0
116
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
54
0
17
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
38
5
Independent
—
4
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
4
0
3
Scottish National Party
Whipped Aye
6
0
1
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
1
0
1
Your Party
—
2
0
0
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
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
Opposes the NIC rise as breaking manifesto commitments, destroying 130,000 jobs, crushing business confidence, and undermining growth when Labour promised the opposite.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,679 words) →
Defends NIC rise as necessary to fill the £22 billion black hole left by Conservatives, fund £22.6 billion NHS investment, and fix public services while protecting small businesses through employment allowance.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,184 words) →
Acknowledges difficult inheritance but expresses deep concern about indiscriminate impact on GPs, dentists, charities, and childcare providers; proposes alternative funding sources (bank tax, gaming duty, capital gains tax reform).Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (887 words) →
Strongly opposed; highlights catastrophic impacts on hospices (Mountbatten needs £1 million extra), charities losing £50-60 million in frontline services, and business confidence at 14-year lows.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,516 words) →
Josh SimonsSupportive
Supports measure as courageous choice to address fundamental economic problem; argues Conservative governments hid taxes through stealth while avoiding difficult decisions.Labour · Read full speech (602 words) →
Opposes as largest tax grab in Budget; warns of closure of GP surgeries, hospices, charities; notes impact on women and young people; calls on Labour to reverse course.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (796 words) →
Concerned about impacts on childcare providers, GP practices, and social care; urges government to rethink or at least exempt health and care providers.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (958 words) →
Draws parallel to 2002 Labour tax rise for NHS investment; argues Opposition offer no alternatives and are mere opportunists unable to face difficult decisions.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (841 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0