English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Motion relating to Lords Amendments 94B and 94C

Commons MPs voted 269 to 170 on 27 April 2026 to disagree with Lords Amendments 94B and 94C to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, backing the government's position over changes proposed by the House of Lords. The motion passed comfortably, with the government's majority holding firm. The precise content of Amendments 94B and 94C is not detailed in the available debate record, though the vote formed part of a broader session of ping-pong (the back-and-forth exchange of amendments between the two chambers) on this legislation. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill restructures how powers are distributed across England, creating a tiered system of strategic authorities and giving ministers the ability to direct the creation of those authorities without local consent where agreement cannot be reached. By voting down the Lords' proposed changes, MPs preserved the government's preferred version of whichever provisions Amendments 94B and 94C addressed. The bill as a whole affects every English local authority and the communities they serve, covering everything from mayoral powers and planning to governance requirements and community asset rights. The division split almost entirely along party lines. All 268 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted supported the government's position, while Conservatives (97), Liberal Democrats (58), the Greens (5), and the unionist parties from Northern Ireland (6) all voted against. Two independents voted with the government and four against. The Conservative shadow minister David Simmonds characterised the bill overall as a centralising measure extending Whitehall control into town halls, while the government's Miatta Fahnbulleh pointed to constructive engagement throughout the bill's passage. This vote was one of several held on the same day, all of which the government won by similar margins.