Sustainable Aviation Fuel Remaining Stages: Amendment 9
160
Ayes
—
324
Noes
Defeated · Government won
168 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
**What happened:** The House of Commons voted on Amendment 9 to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Bill during the bill's remaining stages on 15 October 2025. The amendment, which sought to introduce stricter targets or requirements for the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel, was defeated by 324 votes to 160. **Why it matters:** The SAF Bill establishes a mandate requiring a proportion of aviation fuel used in the UK to come from sustainable sources. Amendment 9 would have gone further than the government's current framework, pushing for enhanced obligations on the aviation sector to adopt cleaner fuels more rapidly or more extensively. Its defeat means the bill proceeds without those additional requirements, leaving the government's original targets and timelines in place. The outcome affects airlines, fuel producers, and the broader effort to reduce the carbon footprint of UK aviation. **The politics:** The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 314 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted opposed the amendment, while Conservatives (87), Liberal Democrats (59), Plaid Cymru (4), SNP (3), and smaller groupings backed it. Four independents voted in favour and three against. The government, whose position was to oppose the amendment, succeeded with a comfortable majority of 164. This sits within a pattern visible on the same day, when a related amendment (Amendment 8) was similarly defeated 319 to 151, and an earlier New Clause 5 fell 316 to 78.
Voting Aye meant
Support requiring the government to regularly review and report on how sustainable aviation fuel mandates affect passenger costs and the affordability of flying
Voting No meant
Oppose the mandatory cost-impact review requirement, trusting the existing framework to balance green aviation targets without additional reporting obligations on passenger affordability
484 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 168 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped No
0
282
80
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
87
0
29
Liberal DemocratsWhipped Aye
59
0
13
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped No
0
32
10
Independent
4
3
6
Scottish National PartyWhipped Aye
3
0
6
Reform UK
1
0
7
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
1
0
4
Green Party of England and Wales
0
2
2
Plaid CymruWhipped Aye
4
0
—
Social Democratic and Labour Party
0
1
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
0
0
1
Speaker
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
0
0
1
Ulster Unionist Party
1
0
—
Your Party
0
1
—
Supports new clauses 1-5 to strengthen SAF targets, reporting, and accountability; criticises EU outpacing UK with 32% vs 22% target by 2040; urges clauses requiring conversion of disused refineries and bioethanol supply assessment.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,222 words) →
Backs amendments 8-11 requiring cost transparency on passenger fares, standardised levy on invoices, and prioritisation of UK technology; opposes new clause 1 but supports power-to-liquid focus; emphasises consumer protection and practical implementation.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,454 words) →
Advocates for public ownership and government investment to re-industrialise Grangemouth following Petroineos refinery closure; calls for government-led industrial strategy rather than relying on private capital.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (896 words) →
Supports new clause 2 on bioethanol supply assessment; argues SAF targets are unrealistic given 90% import dependency on China and Vivergo plant closure; criticises Heathrow expansion relying on unproven SAF deployment.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (470 words) →
Opposes new clause 1; defends government flexibility on SAF technology deployment; warns against oversimplifying fuel pathways and overly burdensome reporting that could drive airlines away from SAF.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,026 words) →
Strongly supportive of Bill and new clauses 1-7; emphasises aviation's 2.5% global emissions share and SAF's 70% lifecycle emissions reduction; backs innovation in zero-carbon alternatives and employment growth projections.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (354 words) →
Tables new clause 7 and amendment 12 prioritising power-to-liquid SAF; argues PTL is cleanest option without food/environmental trade-offs; calls for revenue certainty contracts to de-risk first-mover projects by 2026.Labour · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,123 words) →
Strongly opposed; argues SAF is unaffordable (requiring $19-45bn globally), will massively raise passenger costs, and diverts resources from more efficient engine/airframe improvements; supports new clause 6 economic impact assessment.SNP · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,060 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0