Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill Report Stage: Amendment 11
85
Ayes
—
238
Noes
Defeated · Government won
320 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
**What happened:** The House of Commons voted on Amendment 11 to the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill during its Report Stage on 29 April 2025. The amendment, which sought to place additional safeguards or restrictions on the government's fraud recovery powers, was defeated by 238 votes to 85. The government's position, opposing the amendment, prevailed. **Why it matters:** The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill creates new powers for government bodies to investigate and recover money lost to fraud and error in public spending. Amendment 11 sought to modify those powers by introducing additional due process protections or limits on how far the state can go in pursuing recovery. Its defeat means the bill's fraud recovery mechanisms remain in their original form, without the extra constraints the amendment's supporters argued were necessary to protect individuals from government overreach. **The politics:** The vote revealed a clear divide, with Labour and Labour Co-operative MPs providing the bulk of the 238 Noes in support of the government's position. The Liberal Democrats were the largest opposition bloc in favour of the amendment, contributing 45 of the 85 Ayes, joined by the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the DUP, the Greens, and several independents. Notably, 12 Labour MPs and 1 Labour Co-operative MP voted against their own government. The Conservatives, who backed the bill at Second Reading in February 2025, were almost entirely absent from this division, with only one voting Aye and 115 not participating at all.
Voting Aye meant
Support limiting the eligibility verification power to cases where fraud is already suspected, protecting benefit claimants from being treated as automatic suspects
Voting No meant
Oppose the restriction, backing the government's broader data-sharing power to detect benefit overpayments and errors at an early stage without needing prior suspicion of fraud
323 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 320 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped No
12
213
137
Conservative and Unionist Party
1
0
115
Liberal DemocratsWhipped Aye
45
1
26
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped No
1
24
17
Independent
8
2
3
Scottish National PartyWhipped Aye
7
0
2
Reform UK
0
0
7
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and WalesWhipped Aye
3
0
1
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
1
0
—
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 no_vote_recorded · 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 aye · 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 no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (335 words) →
Questioned whether Bill contravenes Human Rights Act 1998 secrecy provisions; sought assurance on legal compliance.Labour · Voted aye · 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 aye · Read full speech (87 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0