Business
Business regulation and support
Based on 21 parliamentary votes
Related Economy Issues
How Parties Voted on Business
Government alignment shows how often each party voted with the government's stated position. Issue-aligned direction shows agreement with the AI-identified supportive stance.
Voted with government positionVoted in issue-aligned direction
Recent Votes
| Vote | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|
Vote on New Clause 3, which would have required the government to report on UK Export Finance's impact on GDP and support for small and medium-sized businesses. The government opposed it on the grounds that existing reporting requirements already cover this information. Yes = Support adding new reporting requirements on how export finance assistance affects GDP and benefits SMEs, arguing greater transparency and accountability is needed · No = Oppose the new reporting clause as unnecessary, since the government argues existing legal reporting obligations already capture this information Govt: No | 79-284 | 23 Feb 2026 |
Vote on whether to ban UK government export finance or insurance for goods where there is reason to believe they may be re-exported to Russia or other sanctioned countries, and separately to ban export finance where modern slavery or human trafficking is involved. This Opposition amendment would have set the financial assistance limit to zero in such cases. Yes = Support blocking UK export finance for goods likely to be re-exported to sanctioned countries like Russia, and for exports linked to modern slavery or human trafficking · No = Oppose this restriction, likely arguing existing sanctions law and due diligence requirements are sufficient without additional legislative constraints on export finance Govt: No | 163-275 | 23 Feb 2026 |
Vote on opposition amendments to the Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill that would have restricted UK Export Finance support where goods might be re-exported to Russia or other sanctioned countries, and separately where exports involve modern slavery or human trafficking. The amendments sought to cap the Secretary of State's financial commitments to zero in such cases. Yes = Support restricting public export finance where goods risk being re-exported to Russia or sanctioned countries, and where exports are linked to modern slavery or human trafficking · No = Oppose these restrictions, preferring the government retain flexibility in how UK Export Finance is used without these additional conditions Govt: No | 158-276 | 23 Feb 2026 |
An opposition day motion brought by the Conservatives calling on the government to do more to support high streets, likely referencing concerns about business rates, retail decline, or town centre investment. Opposition day motions are rarely passed, and the government voted it down. Yes = Support the motion backing stronger government action to protect and revive high streets and town centres · No = Reject the opposition's motion, arguing the government's existing policies are sufficient or that the motion is politically motivated Govt: No | 107-321 | 4 Nov 2025 |
An Opposition Day debate in which the Conservative-led opposition brought forward a motion on the state of the hospitality sector, calling on the government to take action to support pubs, restaurants, and other hospitality businesses. The government voted against the opposition's motion. Yes = Support the opposition's call for government action to help the hospitality sector, likely addressing concerns such as rising costs, business rates, or labour cost increases · No = Reject the opposition's motion on the hospitality sector, defending the government's existing approach to supporting hospitality businesses Govt: No | 159-334 | 3 Sept 2025 |
MPs voted on a Statutory Instrument to amend Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002, which governs the grounds on which the government can intervene in business mergers on public interest grounds. This order adds or adjusts specific considerations the Secretary of State may use to scrutinise or block deals affecting national interests. Yes = Support expanding or updating the government's powers to intervene in mergers on public interest grounds under the Enterprise Act 2002 · No = Oppose the proposed changes to merger intervention powers, either as unnecessary, too broad, or insufficiently scrutinised Govt: Aye | 332-54 | 16 Jul 2025 |
Vote to approve a government order updating the legal definition of 'newspaper' under the Enterprise Act 2002 to include online-only news publishers, ensuring merger rules that protect media plurality apply to digital news outlets as well as traditional print titles. Yes = Support modernising media merger rules to cover online-only news publishers, protecting plurality and diversity in the digital news landscape · No = Oppose or express concern about this order, potentially citing worries about broader media ownership rules, including a separate SI permitting up to 15% foreign government ownership of UK newspapers Govt: Aye | 333-54 | 16 Jul 2025 |
MPs voted on new regulations to restrict foreign state ownership of British newspapers, setting limits on how much stake a foreign power can hold in a UK news enterprise. The Liberal Democrats raised concerns that the proposed 15% threshold was too permissive and could still allow damaging foreign influence. Yes = Support introducing regulations restricting foreign state ownership of British newspapers to protect press freedom and media independence · No = Oppose these specific regulations, arguing the 15% non-cumulative foreign ownership threshold is too high and fails to adequately protect British journalism from foreign state influence Govt: Aye | 337-79 | 2 Jul 2025 |
MPs voted to approve regulations that would allow the government to require 'not for EU' labelling on retail goods sold across Great Britain, if needed to prevent products being withdrawn from sale in Northern Ireland due to post-Brexit trade rules. Yes = Support giving the government power to introduce 'not for EU' labelling to protect the supply and variety of retail goods available to consumers in Northern Ireland and uphold the UK internal market. · No = Oppose these labelling regulations, potentially citing concerns about burdens on businesses, the adequacy of the underlying Brexit trade arrangements, or the specific approach taken. Govt: Aye | 315-6 | 30 Jun 2025 |
Vote on New Clause 4, which would require products sold in the UK to carry a label indicating where they were manufactured. Supporters argued this would help consumers identify British-made goods and protect industries like Stoke-on-Trent's ceramics sector. Yes = Support requiring country-of-manufacture labelling on products sold in the UK, to help consumers choose British-made goods and protect domestic manufacturing industries · No = Oppose mandatory country-of-manufacture labelling, likely citing regulatory burden on businesses or preferring a more flexible approach Govt: No | 172-275 | 4 Jun 2025 |
How is this calculated?
Government alignment (primary bar) shows how often a party's MPs voted with the government's stated position on this issue. This is the most comparable metric across parties, as it measures the same reference point for everyone.
Issue-aligned direction (secondary bar) shows how often MPs voted in the direction tagged as supportive of this issue by AI analysis. For example, if a vote is tagged “pro-environment”, a Yes vote counts as aligned. This can be misleading when the tagged direction happens to align with opposition amendments rather than government bills.
Why these metrics may differ: Opposition parties often vote against government bills for strategic or procedural reasons, even when they broadly support the policy area. The government alignment metric makes this clearer by showing the actual voting pattern against a consistent reference.
Source: Commons division data from the UK Parliament Votes API. Alignment direction determined by AI analysis of vote stance tags. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.