Opposition Day: Increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions
165
Ayes
—
334
Noes
Defeated · Government won
149 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 4 December 2024 on a Conservative opposition day motion (a formal parliamentary debate initiated by the main opposition party) condemning the government's decision to raise employer National Insurance contributions. The motion was defeated by 334 votes to 165. Opposition day motions do not carry legal force, but they place the government's position on the record and signal the political lines of disagreement. The vote concerns the government's plan, announced in the October 2024 Budget, to increase employer National Insurance contributions from 13.8% to 15%, while also lowering the threshold at which employers begin paying contributions from £9,100 to £5,000 per year. The motion argued this would damage businesses, reduce employment, and harm economic growth. The government's position is that the increase is necessary to fund public services and stabilise the public finances, raising an estimated £25 billion per year. The division produced a clear partisan split. All 294 Labour MPs and 34 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government. Against the motion's defeat, 86 Conservatives, 58 Liberal Democrats, 7 SNP members, 5 Reform UK members, 4 Plaid Cymru members, 2 DUP members, and 1 Traditional Unionist Voice member voted to condemn the rise. The vote foreshadowed subsequent parliamentary contests over the same policy, including related divisions on the Finance Bill in March 2025, where the government again held firm with similar margins.
Voting Aye meant
Support the motion criticising the employers' NIC rise, arguing it harms businesses, suppresses wages, and risks jobs
Voting No meant
Oppose the motion, backing the government's decision to raise employers' NIC as a necessary measure to fund public services
499 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 149 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped No
0
294
68
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
86
0
30
Liberal DemocratsWhipped Aye
58
0
14
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped No
0
34
8
Independent
3
4
7
Scottish National PartyWhipped Aye
7
0
2
Reform UKWhipped Aye
5
0
2
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
2
0
3
Green Party of England and Wales
0
0
4
Plaid CymruWhipped Aye
4
0
—
Social Democratic and Labour Party
0
0
2
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
0
0
1
Speaker
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
1
0
—
Ulster Unionist Party
1
0
—
Your Party
0
1
—
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 aye · 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 · 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 aye · Read full speech (1,516 words) →
Supports measure as courageous choice to address fundamental economic problem; argues Conservative governments hid taxes through stealth while avoiding difficult decisions.Labour · Voted no · 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 aye · 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 · Read full speech (841 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0