Opposition Day: Increase in employers' National Insurance Contributions
165Ayes
334Noes
Defeated · majority 169 · Government won149 did not vote
648 Members · Aye 165 · No 334 · DNV 149 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
The House of Commons voted on 4 December 2024 on an Opposition Day motion tabled by the Conservative Party, calling on the government to reverse its planned increase in employers' National Insurance contributions announced in the October 2024 Budget. The motion was defeated by 334 votes to 165. Opposition Day motions are non-binding parliamentary tools that allow opposition parties to force a public debate and vote on government policy without changing the law. The vote concerns the government's Budget decision to raise employers' National Insurance contributions, a measure the government says is necessary to raise revenue for public services and stabilise the public finances. Those voting for the motion argued the increase damages businesses, suppresses wages, and puts jobs at risk. Those voting against defended it as a necessary fiscal measure, with Labour MPs forming the core of opposition to the motion. Nearly every Conservative MP present voted for the motion, as did the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, Reform UK, Plaid Cymru, the Democratic Unionist Party, and the Traditional Unionist Voice. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voted unanimously against it, providing the government its majority. Three independents voted for the motion and five voted against. The vote reflects the broader political fault line opened by the October 2024 Budget, and similar divisions were recorded in subsequent votes on the Finance Bill in March 2025.
Voting Aye meant
Support the motion criticising the employers' NI rise, arguing it damages businesses, suppresses wages, and threatens jobs
Voting No meant
Oppose the motion, defending the employers' NI increase as a necessary measure to fund public services and stabilise public finances
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
0
293
68
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
86
0
30
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
57
0
14
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
34
8
Independent
—
4
5
5
Scottish National Party
Whipped Aye
7
0
2
Reform UK
Whipped 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 Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
0
1
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
1
0
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
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 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) →
Josh SimonsSupportive
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