Opposition Day: Family businesses
108Ayes
313Noes
Defeated · majority 205 · Government won226 did not vote
647 Members · Aye 108 · No 313 · DNV 226 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 26 February 2025 to reject a Conservative opposition day motion expressing concern about the government's treatment of family businesses. The motion fell by 313 votes to 108, a majority of 205 against. Opposition day motions are non-binding parliamentary procedures that allow the official opposition to set the agenda and force a debate and vote on a topic of their choosing. The vote reflects a live political dispute over changes to inheritance tax business relief announced by the Chancellor in the October 2024 Budget. Those changes, which restrict the relief available to owners of family businesses passing assets to the next generation, have been criticised by family firm owners and business groups as threatening the viability of succession. The motion sought to place Parliament on record as opposing that direction of travel, though as a non-binding motion it carries no legal effect. The parties divided almost entirely along government and opposition lines. All 282 Labour and 29 Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the government. All 102 voting Conservatives supported the motion, joined by 4 Reform UK MPs and 2 Democratic Unionist Party MPs. One Independent voted no, while 2 Independents and no Liberal Democrats appear in the data, with the Scottish National Party, Sinn Fein, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party recording no votes either way. There were no notable rebels on either side.
Voting Aye meant
Support the opposition motion criticising government policy on family businesses, backing calls to protect family firms from tax or regulatory changes seen as harmful to their survival and succession.
Voting No meant
Reject the opposition motion, backing the government's approach to family business taxation and regulation as part of broader fiscal policy.
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
282
79
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
102
0
14
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
29
13
Independent
—
2
1
11
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
9
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
4
0
3
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
2
0
3
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
4
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
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
—
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
Family businesses face ruin from inheritance tax cap on Business Property Relief, National Insurance rises, and Employment Rights Bill; government lacks business experience and is most anti-business in modern history.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,969 words) →
Inheritance tax reforms on BPR and APR are necessary and fair, affecting only wealthy estates; National Insurance rise is fairest way to fund NHS; small businesses protected through employment allowance doubling.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (4,258 words) →
Acknowledges value of family businesses but criticises both parties: Conservatives for past failures (Brexit, mini-budget), Labour for NIC rises and business rates changes that harm small firms.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,519 words) →
Government policies create hostile environment for family business hiring and investment; National Insurance raid forces impossible choices between cutting jobs or closing.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (931 words) →
Labour defaults to raising taxes rather than supporting businesses; family business tax threatens 125,000 job losses and £9.4bn output reduction.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,490 words) →
Family businesses benefit from employment allowance doubling, fixed corporation tax, late payment reforms, and AI adoption support; 96% unaffected by BPR changes.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,114 words) →
Employment Rights Bill protects workers with day one rights and elimination of zero-hours contracts; Government inherited wrecked high streets from Conservatives.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,263 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0