King's Speech Motion for an Address
307Ayes
171Noes
Carried · majority 136 · Government won171 did not vote
649 Members · Aye 307 · No 171 · DNV 171 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament approved the government's motion for an Address in reply to the King's Speech on 20 May 2026, passing by 307 votes to 171. The motion formally endorses Labour's legislative programme as set out at the State Opening of Parliament. All 304 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the motion, while the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Reform UK and several smaller parties and independents voted against. The vote carries constitutional significance as the parliamentary expression of confidence in the government's agenda. The King's Speech had outlined a range of planned legislation, including an Armed Forces Bill, regulatory measures to expand drone testing, and the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025. Approving the Address allows that programme to proceed. Rejecting it would have amounted to a vote of no confidence in the government, which given Labour's Commons majority was never a realistic prospect, but the scale of opposition votes reflects broad dissatisfaction across the opposition benches with Labour's stated priorities. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines, with no Labour rebels. Three independents backed the government while three others voted against. The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP and Reform UK all opposed, though they did so for differing reasons. Three separate amendments to the motion were defeated earlier the same day: the Conservative amendment, focused on defence readiness and Northern Ireland veterans, fell by 317 to 104; the Liberal Democrat amendment fell by 408 to 78; and the Reform UK amendment also fell by 316 to 104. A further amendment on a different theme had been defeated the previous day. The overall motion passed with the government's majority intact.
Voting Aye meant
Support the government's legislative programme as outlined in the King's Speech
Voting No meant
Reject the government's legislative programme, signalling a lack of confidence in Labour's agenda
Each row is one party. The stacked bar gives the within-party split of Aye / No / Absent; the columns on the right give the raw counts. The whip column shows the published party position — “Free vote” means the whip was formally removed for this division.
Party
Whip
Aye / No / Abs
Aye
No
Abs
Labour Party
Whipped Aye
271
0
89
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped No
0
88
28
Liberal Democrats
Whipped No
0
61
11
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped Aye
33
0
9
Independent
—
3
3
7
Reform UK
Whipped No
0
5
3
Scottish National Party
Whipped No
0
7
0
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
—
0
1
4
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
5
Plaid Cymru
—
0
0
4
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
1
0
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
1
0
Ulster Unionist Party
—
0
1
0
Your Party
—
0
1
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
The Government must urgently publish the Defence Readiness Bill and Defence Investment Plan, commit to 3% GDP defence spending, and scrap the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill to protect veteran morale and recruitment.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (3,304 words) →
The Government is investing record sums in defence (£270bn this Parliament), has signed over 1,200 defence contracts, and will deliver both the Defence Investment Plan and Defence Readiness Bill later in the Parliament as part of an ambitious reform agenda.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,799 words) →
The Government is moving too slowly on defence; it must publish the Defence Investment Plan and Bill urgently, commit to 3% GDP spending by 2030, and launch defence bonds to mobilise investment at the scale required.Liberal Democrat · Voted no · Read full speech (1,900 words) →
The Defence Investment Plan delay is damaging domestic industry and UK credibility with NATO allies; the Government must publish it before summer recess and provide a timeline for reaching 3.5% NATO target to allow industry to plan capacity expansion.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,512 words) →
Defence spending has been allowed to fall under successive governments; Britain now faces its greatest threat since the 1930s from totalitarian states (China, Russia, Iran), requiring commitment to 5% GDP spending and urgent publication of the Defence Investment Plan and Defence Readiness Bill.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,009 words) →
The Government must invest rapidly in defence, but national strength also depends on rebuilding the social contract for young people through jobs, housing, and opportunity; without addressing economic insecurity and inequality, recruitment and patriotism will suffer.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (3,386 words) →
The absence of the Defence Investment Plan and Defence Readiness Bill from the King's Speech represents a concerning vacuum in defence planning and industrial strategy at a time of acute threat.Conservative · Voted no · Read full speech (2,112 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0