Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill Report Stage: New Clause 10
101
Ayes
—
258
Noes
Defeated · Government won
286 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
**What happened:** The House of Commons voted on New Clause 10 to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill during its Report Stage on 29 April 2025. The clause proposed adding extra procedural requirements or limitations to the government's powers to recover fraudulently obtained public money. The motion was defeated by 258 votes to 101. **Why it matters:** The Bill gives public authorities enhanced powers to investigate and recover funds lost to fraud and error. New Clause 10 sought to build additional procedural safeguards into those powers. Its defeat means the government's fraud recovery regime will proceed without the extra constraints the clause would have imposed, leaving public authorities with broader discretion in how they pursue recovery action. The outcome affects anyone subject to government fraud investigations, as well as taxpayers and public bodies involved in administering public funds. **The politics:** The vote divided sharply along government and opposition lines. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voted unanimously against the clause, providing the government's majority. Conservatives supplied the bulk of the 101 Ayes, joined by all four Democratic Unionist Party MPs, all four Reform UK MPs present, and representatives of the Traditional Unionist Voice and Ulster Unionist Party. This mirrors the pattern seen in other divisions on the same Bill the same day, where opposition parties sought repeatedly to add safeguards to the legislation and were defeated by the Labour government's majority at each turn.
Voting Aye meant
Support adding a new specific debt recovery mechanism to the Bill, arguing it would strengthen the government's ability to reclaim money from those who refuse to pay despite having means
Voting No meant
Oppose the new clause as unnecessary, on the grounds that existing DWP legislation and Clause 16 of the Bill already provide sufficient and equivalent civil recovery powers
359 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 286 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped No
0
226
136
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
91
0
25
Liberal Democrats
0
0
72
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped No
0
26
16
Independent
2
5
6
Scottish National Party
0
0
9
Reform UKWhipped Aye
4
0
3
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and Wales
0
0
4
Plaid Cymru
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
0
1
1
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
—
Bill is tough and fair, essential to tackle £7.4bn benefit fraud and £55bn public sector fraud; includes robust safeguards, independent oversight, and will recover £1.5bn; existing legislation already covers sickfluencers and similar offences.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (6,372 words) →
Bill will only recover 1.8% of fraud losses (£1.5bn of £55bn); concerned that suspicionless financial surveillance may breach Human Rights Act articles 8 and 14; demanded legal advice be made public.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (429 words) →
Bill has gaps where not tough enough and parts vaguely prepared; supports new clauses on sickfluencers (10-year sentences), arrest powers for DWP investigators, liability orders for asset seizure, and independent tribunal appeals instead of ministerial review.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,733 words) →
Bill presents Orwellian mass surveillance risk; concerns about proportionality, impact on 136,000 carer's allowance claimants, and lack of fundamental DWP reform; fears powers will worsen situation for vulnerable people without independent oversight.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,014 words) →
Welcomes Bill as crackdown on £7.1m fraud in Wales; supports Government amendments on devolution, safeguards, and proportionality; Bill protects vulnerabilities and encourages early dialogue to prevent error escalation.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (913 words) →
Existing powers against sickfluencers are not being used effectively; supports new clauses 8 and 21 for targeted legislation; called for annual reporting of recovered amounts and assurances on Scottish Government fraud reporting.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (335 words) →
Questioned whether Bill contravenes Human Rights Act 1998 secrecy provisions; sought assurance on legal compliance.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (51 words) →
Expressed concerns about automated decision-making, AI, and algorithms; sought commitment to transparency to protect vulnerable people from unfair treatment.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (87 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0