Draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots
330Ayes
109Noes
Carried · majority 221 · Government won210 did not vote
649 Members · Aye 330 · No 109 · DNV 210 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 15 July 2026 to approve a draft code of practice governing electronic and workplace ballots for statutory trade union votes. The motion passed by 330 votes to 109. The code accompanies a statutory instrument (a form of secondary legislation) that permits trade unions to conduct compulsory ballots, such as those required before industrial action, by electronic, hybrid or workplace means rather than solely by post, as current law requires. The change matters because statutory trade union ballots have been conducted entirely by post since the 1980s, and the government argues that requirement has become expensive and slow. Allowing electronic, hybrid and workplace voting is intended to reduce the administrative burden on unions and increase member participation. The accompanying statutory instrument also corrects a minor error in unfair dismissal legislation to reflect changes made by the Employment Rights Act 2025. The new rules designate the trade union itself as the "responsible person" for choosing the ballot method, subject to legal requirements, rather than an independent scrutineer. Labour and its Co-operative Party partners voted unanimously in favour, joined by Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, the Scottish National Party and two smaller parties. Every Conservative MP who voted opposed the motion, as did all six voting Reform UK members, the Democratic Unionist Party's four voting members, and two independents. Two independents voted in favour. No Conservative or Reform UK MP supported the change. The vote reflects a broader pattern in this parliamentary session, with similar employment-related statutory instruments passing on comparable margins in early July 2026.
Voting Aye meant
Support modernising trade union ballot methods to include electronic, hybrid and workplace voting, making it cheaper and easier for union members to participate in statutory ballots
Voting No meant
Raise concerns about the integrity and independence of new balloting methods, particularly that trade unions — rather than independent scrutineers — would be designated as the responsible person overseeing ballot processes
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
280
0
80
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
94
22
Liberal Democrats
—
1
0
70
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
33
0
10
Independent
—
2
2
9
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
6
1
Scottish National Party
—
2
0
5
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
4
1
Green Party of England and Wales
Whipped Aye
4
0
1
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
1
0
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
CGT rate increases (10%→18%, 20%→24%) and carried interest reform are necessary to repair £22bn fiscal gap while remaining internationally competitive; phased BADR increases protect entrepreneurs.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,153 words) →
CGT changes contradict Labour's pro-growth rhetoric, create perverse incentives to sell businesses before April 2025, risk retrospective anti-forestalling rules, and carried interest measure costs £4.5m to raise zero revenue.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,527 words) →
CGT increase is suboptimal; should instead introduce indexation allowance, three-rate structure, and higher allowance to raise £5.2bn (vs £2.5bn) while being fairer to ordinary savers and long-term investors.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,332 words) →
CGT increases address tax avoidance gap between CGT and income tax rates; entrepreneurial investment depends on infrastructure/skills not exit taxation; Budget supports that vision.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,352 words) →
While supporting progressive taxation, CGT reform incomplete: should index gains for inflation, target smaller gains, reform reliefs, and close Monaco loophole to truly be fair; cannot support unamended clause.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (894 words) →
Energy profits levy increase (35%→38%) and abolition of 29% investment allowance necessary to fund energy transition while maintaining decarbonisation allowance; ESIM price floor provides certainty; consultation on post-2030 regime planned.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,593 words) →
Energy levy increases risk 26% lower capex, 6.3% lower oil and 9.2% lower gas production per OBR; removal of investment allowance jeopardises 200,000 jobs; new clause 3 review essential given Aberdeen warnings.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,463 words) →
CGT reform is incomplete technocratic fix; should have fundamentally redesigned CGT following IFS guidance on indexation, asset-specific rates, and wealth tax; clauses do nothing for Scotland's economy.SNP · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,243 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0