Representation of the People Bill: Reasoned Amendment
105
Ayes
—
410
Noes
Defeated · Government won
134 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
**What happened:** On 2 March 2026, the House of Commons voted on a reasoned amendment (a formal motion to block a bill at its second reading stage by stating objections to its principles) to the Representation of the People Bill. The amendment sought to prevent the bill from proceeding any further through Parliament, on the grounds that the electoral reform proposals it contains are flawed or unnecessary. The amendment was defeated by 410 votes to 105, meaning the bill was allowed to continue to the next stage of parliamentary scrutiny. **Why it matters:** The defeat of the amendment clears the way for the Representation of the People Bill to proceed to detailed examination in committee. Media coverage of the bill indicates it contains significant electoral reforms, including an expansion of the types of photo identification accepted for voting -- a reversal of the direction of the voter ID rules introduced in recent years -- and changes to voting systems for mayoral elections away from first-past-the-post. These changes would directly affect how millions of people participate in elections across England and Wales, with implications for voter access, party competition, and the broader architecture of British democracy. **The politics:** The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 97 Conservative MPs who voted supported the amendment, joined by all 6 Reform UK MPs who voted, 2 Democratic Unionist Party members, and 1 independent -- forming a right-leaning bloc of 105. Against the amendment were 298 Labour MPs, 57 Liberal Democrats, 33 Labour and Co-operative MPs, 7 Scottish National Party members, 4 Greens, 2 Plaid Cymru members, and 6 independents. There were no rebels on any side. The result reflects the government's commanding majority and the broad support for the bill among opposition parties to Labour's left, though the vote also took place against a backdrop of wider public debate about electoral reform and the fragmentation of British party politics.
Voting Aye meant
Support blocking the Representation of the People Bill, opposing measures such as votes at 16 and other electoral reforms proposed by the Labour government
Voting No meant
Support allowing the Bill to proceed, backing Labour's electoral reforms including extending the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds
515 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 134 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped No
0
298
64
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped Aye
97
0
19
Liberal DemocratsWhipped No
0
57
15
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped No
0
33
9
Independent
1
6
6
Scottish National PartyWhipped No
0
7
2
Reform UKWhipped Aye
6
0
2
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
2
0
3
Green Party of England and WalesWhipped No
0
4
1
Plaid Cymru
0
2
2
Social Democratic and Labour Party
0
1
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
0
0
1
Speaker
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
1
0
—
Ulster Unionist Party
0
0
1
Your Party
0
1
—
Government proposing the Bill as essential modernization to protect democracy from foreign interference, extend the franchise to 16-17 year-olds, introduce automatic voter registration, and tighten donation rules while protecting candidates from intimidation.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (3,356 words) →
Tabled reasoned amendment opposing Second Reading on grounds that lowering the voting age contradicts legal definitions of childhood, automatic registration risks electoral fraud, the Bill lacks proper cross-party consultation, and should await the Rycroft review; reserves right to vote it down at later stages.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,685 words) →
Supporting Second Reading and voting against the reasoned amendment, but criticizing the Bill as insufficiently ambitious—lacks donation caps, fails to scrap voter ID requirements, does not address first-past-the-post electoral system, and leaves foreign interference gaps.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (2,030 words) →
Strong support for the Bill as necessary to rebuild trust in democracy, protect candidates from harassment, introduce 'know your donor' checks, and bring votes to 16; emphasizes the scale of intimidation in the 2024 election and responsibility to safeguard democracy for future generations.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,043 words) →
Concerned that the Bill is more gesture than substance, risks judicial review via phased automatic enrolment across different areas, lacks clarity on rollout timing relative to boundary redistribution, and should have addressed Commonwealth voting rights.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (952 words) →
Long-time advocate for votes at 16 celebrating the Bill's delivery on a Labour manifesto commitment; emphasizes young people's maturity, tax-paying status, and international precedent, and urges strong citizenship education alongside the franchise extension.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (992 words) →
Raises concern about cryptocurrency loopholes in political donations and praises the Government's commitment to review and amend the Bill before passage to close this gap.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,241 words) →
Welcomes the Bill and intends to table an amendment banning donations from fossil fuel companies, citing their pernicious role in undermining climate action.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (80 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0