English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Government motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 13
297
Ayes
—
147
Noes
Passed · Government won
205 did not vote
Analysis
Commons
Commons
**What happened** On 21 April 2026, MPs voted on a government motion to reject Lords Amendment 13 to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, a change that the House of Lords had made during the bill's passage through the upper chamber. The motion passed by 297 votes to 147, restoring the government's original text on this aspect of the bill. The vote was one of several held on the same day in which the government sought to overturn Lords changes to the legislation. **Why it matters** The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is described by the government as the largest transfer of power from Whitehall to English regions and communities in a generation. By rejecting Lords Amendment 13, along with a number of other Lords changes voted on the same day, the government maintained its preferred approach to the framework for English devolution. The bill covers a wide range of policy areas including local authority governance, planning powers, transport, licensing, and the creation and expansion of combined authorities and mayoralties. The outcome of these votes determines the shape of those powers and the conditions under which they are exercised across England. **The politics** The vote followed strict party lines. All 296 Labour and Labour and Co-operative Party MPs who voted supported the government. All 80 Conservative MPs who voted, all 56 Liberal Democrats who voted, all 5 Greens, and the Democratic Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice members present voted against. The Conservatives argued throughout the debate that the bill is centralising rather than genuinely devolutionary, while the Liberal Democrats also backed the Lords position. The vote sits within a broader pattern of Lords-Commons disagreement on this bill, with several similar government motions to overturn Lords amendments passing on the same day by comparable margins.
Voting Aye meant
Support the government's position by rejecting the Lords' amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Voting No meant
Defend the Lords' amendment and oppose the government overriding the upper chamber's change to the bill
444 voting MPs. Each dot is one vote; left-to-right by party. Grey dots in the centre are the 205 who did not vote.
Aye
No
Absent
Labour PartyWhipped Aye
268
0
94
Conservative and Unionist PartyWhipped No
0
80
36
Liberal DemocratsWhipped No
0
56
16
Labour and Co-operative PartyWhipped Aye
28
0
14
Independent
2
2
9
Scottish National Party
0
0
9
Reform UK
0
0
8
Sinn Féin
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist PartyWhipped No
0
3
2
Green Party of England and WalesWhipped No
0
5
—
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
0
1
—
Ulster Unionist Party
0
0
1
Your Party
0
0
1
Government Minister defending rejection of most Lords amendments as unnecessary or undermining devolution principles; supporting amendments on culture, scrutiny, licensing, and pavement parking; committing to guidance on agent of change and rural affairs.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (7,424 words) →
Shadow Secretary of State arguing the Bill is centralising rather than devolving; supporting select Lords amendments (brownfield-first, mayoral accountability, transparency) while criticising insufficient safeguards on land disposal and governance.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,165 words) →
Spokesperson arguing the Bill withholds real power from local areas; supporting Lords amendments for rural affairs, merit-based commissioner appointments, simple majority voting in London, brownfield-first, committee system choice, parish councils, and agent of change.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (1,677 words) →
Backbencher emphasising lack of Government ambition on brownfield regeneration and protecting green belt; arguing housing crisis requires funding and political will, not arbitrary targets.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (510 words) →
Backbencher welcoming the Bill but disappointed at rejection of Lords amendment 41 on agent of change principle; urging statutory protections for music venues and cultural institutions.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (171 words) →
Backbencher supporting devolution benefits and amendments on private hire vehicles; pressing for stronger enforcement and local knowledge in licensing to end out-of-area operations.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,083 words) →
Opposing Lords amendment 42 on land disposal as replacing localism with ministerial discretion; arguing it abandons local authority role and lacks proper safeguards for statutory trusts.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (951 words) →
Backbencher supporting brownfield-first amendments and pavement parking powers; opposing local government reorganisation without consent and criticising housing target increases unfairly placed on areas outside London.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (1,347 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0