Opposition Day: Stamp Duty Land Tax
103
Ayes
—
329
Noes
Defeated · Government won
215 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
**What happened:** The House of Commons voted on an Opposition Day motion (a debate and vote initiated by the Opposition rather than the Government) concerning Stamp Duty Land Tax, the tax paid on property purchases in England and Northern Ireland. The motion, which called for reducing or reforming stamp duty to help homebuyers, was defeated by 329 votes to 103. **Why it matters:** Stamp Duty Land Tax directly affects anyone buying a home, with rates rising steeply on higher-value properties. Proponents of reform argue that high stamp duty increases the cost of moving, reduces housing market mobility, and makes it harder for first-time buyers to get onto the property ladder. The Government's decision to oppose the motion means the current stamp duty regime remains in place, with no immediate pressure for cuts. The result has no direct legislative effect since Opposition Day motions are not binding, but it signals the parliamentary balance of opinion on property taxation. **The politics:** The vote divided along largely partisan lines. The Conservative Party provided 95 of the 103 Aye votes, with smaller contributions from the DUP (4), Reform UK (2), and two independents. Labour, the Labour and Co-operative Party, and the Greens voted unanimously against, producing the commanding majority of 329. There were no notable rebels on either side. The motion sits within a broader political context in which the Conservatives have sought to use Opposition Day debates to challenge the Government's tax and housing policies, though such motions rarely carry given the Government's parliamentary majority.
Voting Aye meant
Support the opposition's proposed changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax, likely to maintain higher thresholds or introduce relief for buyers
Voting No meant
Reject the opposition's stamp duty motion, defending the government's existing approach to property transaction taxes
432 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 215 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped No
0
287
75
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
95
0
21
Liberal Democrats
0
0
72
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped No
0
34
8
Independent
2
4
7
Scottish National Party
0
0
9
Reform UK
2
0
6
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
4
0
1
Green Party of England and WalesWhipped No
0
4
—
Plaid Cymru
0
0
4
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
0
0
1
Stamp duty is a destructive tax blocking housing mobility and growth; abolishing it on primary residences, funded by £47bn of public spending cuts, would unlock the housing market and reverse Labour's economic mismanagement.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,257 words) →
The Conservative motion is reckless and half-baked; abolishing stamp duty costs £14bn annually with no credible funding plan, and represents a return to Liz Truss-style unfunded tax cuts and austerity.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,466 words) →
Stamp duty is flawed but abolishing it in isolation would cost £36-44bn over five years and risks raising house prices; reform must be part of broader tax system overhaul including land value tax and council tax reform.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (1,451 words) →
Stamp duty is economically harmful and generationally unfair; it destroys market liquidity, deters mobility, and disproportionately burdens younger people building families; abolishing it is essential for growth.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,619 words) →
Stamp duty is bad tax but cannot be cut in isolation; doing so would entrench regional inequality and regressive council tax; reform requires broader conversation including revaluation and higher rates on expensive properties.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,554 words) →
The proposal benefits millionaires most (£150k saving on £2m homes) while 40% of first-time buyers pay no stamp duty; real solutions are building more homes, planning reform, and mortgage guarantees.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (975 words) →
Stamp duty blocks housing market mobility and young people's access; abolishing it unlocks transactions across the entire chain and should be a priority alongside quality housebuilding.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,287 words) →
The £23bn welfare cuts needed to fund the proposal would cause destitution among working families and children; social security cannot be cut further without serious harm.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,057 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0