Data (Use and Access) Bill Report Stage: New Clause 2

Parliament voted on 7 May 2025 on New Clause 2 to the Data (Use and Access) Bill during its Report Stage in the House of Commons. The clause proposed additional safeguards and oversight mechanisms governing how public authorities can access and use personal data. The motion was defeated by 287 votes to 88, with the government's position prevailing comfortably. The vote determined whether the bill would include stricter limits on government data sharing powers. Supporters of the new clause argued it would protect citizens from excessive or opaque use of their personal information by public bodies. Opponents, including the government, maintained that such restrictions would impede the bill's core purpose of enabling better use of data to improve public services and drive digital transformation of the state. The bill as a whole seeks to modernise data governance in the United Kingdom following the country's departure from the European Union's regulatory framework. The division exposed a clear party-political divide, with Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voting overwhelmingly against the clause, providing the bulk of the 287 noes. The Liberal Democrats were the most unified force in favour, contributing 56 of the 88 aye votes. The Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Greens, and most participating Reform UK members also voted aye, forming a broad but ultimately insufficient cross-party opposition coalition. Only two Labour MPs broke with their party to support the clause. Notably, Conservative MPs were largely absent, with just six voting aye and none voting no, suggesting the party did not formally whip its members to oppose or support the clause at this stage. The bill continued through Parliament and into Lords-Commons exchanges, with subsequent divisions in May and June 2025 showing the government repeatedly defeating Lords amendments on related data-use questions.