Draft Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026

Parliament voted on 9 June 2026 to approve the Draft Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026, by 356 votes to 86. The order amends the rules governing elections for metro mayors across England's combined authorities, updating the legal framework that sets out how those contests are run. The result was never seriously in doubt given the government's working majority. The order matters because it adjusts the statutory rules that underpin mayoral elections in places such as Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire and other combined authority areas. Changes to electoral rules at this level can affect candidate nomination procedures, campaign finance limits, returning officer duties or voting administration, and the order brings those rules into line with the government's broader devolution programme. For the millions of voters in combined authority areas, the rules set by this kind of secondary legislation (law made by ministers under powers granted by Parliament rather than through a full Act) govern the practical conduct of their local democratic contests. The vote divided almost entirely along government-versus-opposition lines. Labour, Labour and Co-operative, and Liberal Democrat MPs all voted in favour, while Conservatives provided the bulk of the no votes with 81 against. The Democratic Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice also voted no, alongside one Reform UK MP and one independent. No Conservative voted aye, and no government-aligned MP voted against. The order sits within the wider devolution agenda that has produced a series of closely contested divisions earlier in the year, including multiple votes in late April on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill where government majorities were considerably tighter, typically around 100 votes. The larger majority here, over 270, reflects the more technical and less contentious character of secondary legislation compared with the broader constitutional questions raised in that Bill.