Finance (No. 2) Bill Report Stage: New Clause 11

**What happened:** On 11 March 2026, the House of Commons voted on New Clause 11 during the report stage of the Finance (No. 2) Bill -- the legislation enacting the government's budget measures. The clause, proposed by opposition parties, would have added new fiscal provisions to the Bill. It was defeated by 292 votes to 174, with the government's position prevailing comfortably. **Why it matters:** The Finance (No. 2) Bill is the primary vehicle through which the government translates its budget into law, covering taxation, duties and related fiscal measures. Media coverage in the weeks surrounding this vote focused heavily on Air Passenger Duty, which was set to rise from April 2026, with travellers urged to book flights before 1 April to avoid higher charges. New Clause 11's defeat means the government's original budget proposals on such matters remain intact, without the additional fiscal measures the opposition sought to introduce. **The politics:** The vote divided sharply along government-versus-opposition lines. All Labour and Labour/Co-operative MPs who voted did so against the clause (288 combined), while Conservatives (96), Liberal Democrats (53), the SNP (7), Reform UK (7), Plaid Cymru (4) and the DUP (2) all voted in favour -- an unusually broad opposition alliance. Notably, the Greens voted with the government against the clause. The vote sits within a period of sustained parliamentary pressure on Labour's fiscal agenda, including a series of government victories in March 2026 on National Insurance Contributions legislation, where the Commons repeatedly rejected Lords amendments by margins of around 115 votes.