Passenger Railway Services Bill (Public Ownership) Bill: Second Reading
351
Ayes
—
84
Noes
Passed · Government won
209 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 29 July 2024 to give the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill its Second Reading, passing it by 351 votes to 84. Second Reading is the stage at which MPs vote on the general principles of a bill, so the result confirmed that the House of Commons supported the broad aim of bringing passenger rail services back under public ownership. Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs voted unanimously in favour, while Conservative and Reform UK members provided almost all of the opposition. The bill would end the system of private franchising that has governed most passenger rail in Great Britain since the mid-1990s, transferring the running of train services to a publicly owned body as existing contracts expire or are terminated. The practical effect is that passengers would travel on trains operated by the state rather than by private companies. Proponents argue this will improve reliability, accountability and coordination; opponents contend it removes commercial incentives that drive efficiency and that public ownership carries financial risks for taxpayers. The party lines were almost entirely uniform. All 346 Labour and Labour Co-operative members who voted did so in favour, as did all three Green MPs, the sole SDLP member and three Independents. Eighty-two Conservatives and three Reform UK MPs voted against, with one Independent also in the no lobby. There were no notable cross-party rebellions. The bill subsequently progressed to Committee stage in September 2024, where Conservative-backed amendments to limit or qualify the nationalisation were defeated by comfortable margins, confirming that the government retained firm control of the legislation's direction.
Voting Aye meant
Support renationalising passenger railway services and returning them to public ownership
Voting No meant
Oppose renationalisation of rail, preferring continued private sector involvement in running train services
435 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 209 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped Aye
309
0
53
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped No
0
82
34
Liberal Democrats
0
0
72
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped Aye
37
0
5
Independent
3
1
10
Scottish National Party
0
0
9
Reform UKWhipped No
0
3
4
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
0
0
5
Green Party of England and WalesWhipped Aye
3
0
1
Plaid Cymru
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
0
0
1
Speaker
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
0
0
1
Ulster Unionist Party
0
0
1
Your Party
1
0
—
Public ownership is necessary to fix a broken privatised system; privatisation has failed passengers with poor performance, high fares, and profit extraction; the Bill allows contracts to expire and return to public control, saving taxpayer money on private sector fees.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,637 words) →
Rail reform is needed but this Bill is ideological, not evidence-based; privatisation transformed British Rail and doubled passenger numbers; public ownership under current management offers no guarantee of cheaper fares or better reliability; the Bill lacks detail on how it will benefit passengers.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,622 words) →
Privatisation has failed and extracted £700m annually in shareholder dividends while fares rose 20% in real terms; public ownership will serve the public interest rather than private profit; the manifesto commitment reflects strong public support (76% in recent polling).Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,383 words) →
Rail needs reform and public services should be affordable, but nationalisation alone is not the answer; concerned about funding competition with NHS and schools; prefers pragmatic focus on worst-performing operators first; Liberal Democrats will scrutinise based on passenger benefit.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,125 words) →
Rail system needs reform but government should address worst performers first; unclear how Bill benefits passengers; concerns about operational details (driver training, seven-day service, ticket offices); waiting to be convinced this puts passengers first rather than ideology.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,261 words) →
Mike AmesburySupportive
Avanti West Coast's poor performance demands action and public ownership; welcomed government's willingness to terminate contracts for underperformance.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (111 words) →
Public ownership has already shown improvements (TransPennine Express became most improved operator); South Western will see similar benefits; all remaining contracts will be brought into public ownership within three years.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (206 words) →
Supports the Bill's modernisation; highlights that disabled access and rural station closures remain overlooked priorities that must be addressed.Democratic Unionist Party · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (165 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0