Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords]: Third Reading

Parliament voted on 4 June 2025 to pass the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill at its Third Reading, the final stage before a bill receives Royal Assent and becomes law. The result was 264 votes in favour and 99 against, a majority of 165. Third Reading is the last opportunity for the House of Commons to approve or reject a bill in its final form, after all amendments have been considered. The bill had previously passed through the House of Lords, and this vote confirmed the Commons' agreement to the legislation. The bill updates the legal framework governing product standards and measurement systems in the United Kingdom following Brexit. Previously, the UK operated under European Union regulations for product safety and metrology (the science and law of weights and measures). The legislation gives ministers powers to set and update product regulations, and to align or diverge from international or EU standards depending on trade and policy needs. It affects manufacturers, importers, retailers, and consumers across a wide range of goods, from electrical appliances to consumer products requiring accurate measurement in their sale or production. The vote divided largely along party lines. All 263 Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party members who voted backed the bill, as did the four Green MPs, the two Plaid Cymru members who voted, and four independents. All 89 Conservatives who voted opposed it, joined by six Reform UK members, the one Democratic Unionist Party member who voted, one Traditional Unionist Voice member, and one Ulster Unionist member. There were no Conservative votes in favour and no Labour votes against. The bill sits within the government's broader post-Brexit regulatory agenda, and a related vote on the Draft Marking of Retail Goods Regulations 2025 on 30 June 2025 passed by 315 votes to 4, suggesting continued parliamentary support for this area of policy.