Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: New Clause 22
74Ayes
323Noes
Defeated · majority 249 · Government won253 did not vote
650 Members · Aye 74 · No 323 · DNV 253 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 22 June 2026 to reject New Clause 22, a proposed addition to the Armed Forces Bill at its Report Stage (the stage at which the full House of Commons debates and votes on amendments). The clause was defeated by 323 votes to 74. New Clause 22 would have required the Government to report to Parliament twice a year on progress in delivering the Defence Investment Plan, and to produce a specific assessment of the impact that delays to that plan have had on businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. By voting it down, the House left the Government's existing, non-statutory commitment to keep Parliament informed as the only mechanism for such scrutiny. The vote divided almost entirely along government-versus-opposition lines. All 319 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the No lobby. The 74 Ayes came overwhelmingly from the Liberal Democrats, who provided 57 votes, with further support from Reform UK (6), the Democratic Unionist Party (5), Plaid Cymru (4), and smaller groupings. Only one Conservative MP voted, casting an Aye; the remaining 115 Conservative MPs had no vote recorded. The vote sits alongside several related divisions on the same bill and the following day's opposition debate on defence spending and readiness, reflecting a sustained opposition effort to impose greater parliamentary oversight of the Government's defence investment commitments.
Voting Aye meant
Support adding New Clause 22 to the Armed Forces Bill
Voting No meant
Oppose adding New Clause 22 to the Armed Forces Bill, preferring the bill as it stands
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 No
0
282
78
Conservative and Unionist Party
—
1
0
115
Liberal Democrats
Whipped Aye
57
0
14
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
37
5
Independent
—
1
1
11
Reform UK
Whipped Aye
6
0
2
Scottish National Party
—
0
0
7
Sinn Féin
—
0
0
7
Democratic Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
5
0
0
Green Party of England and Wales
—
0
0
5
Plaid Cymru
Whipped Aye
4
0
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
1
0
1
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
0
0
1
Speaker
—
0
0
1
Traditional Unionist Voice
—
0
0
1
Ulster Unionist Party
—
1
0
0
Source · Hansard · UK Parliament Votes API · whip status from announced positions; “free vote” indicates the whip was formally removed
New Clause 1 would prevent visiting forces from ICC-indicted states or suspected war criminals entering the UK; emphasises importance of international law and preventing genocide participants from operating in Britain.Labour · Voted aye · Read full speech (1,612 words) →
Supports New Clause 4 (visa fee waiver for service dependants) and Amendments 3–5 (SEND portability, adoption/fostering continuity, NHS waiting list preservation); opposes New Clause 11 on ECHR derogation; demands clarity on Defence Investment Plan and £9.2bn military housing commitment amid Treasury cuts.Conservative · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (3,720 words) →
Praises Bill's four key themes: Defence Housing Service, service justice reform, reservist renewal; defends extended recall age and mobilisation threshold changes as necessary for strategic reserve capacity.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (357 words) →
Welcomes armed forces covenant extension and accountability mechanisms; does not support New Clause 4 today to allow Government time to deliver manifesto pledges; calls for clearer covenant guidance and record-keeping of military families in public services.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,506 words) →
Raises concerns that NI reservists in SMEs face retention challenges from increased recall and mobilisation requirements; requests covenant amendment to explicitly include NI local councils.DUP · Voted aye · Read full speech (241 words) →
Speaks in support of the Bill during Armed Forces Week; notes Liberal Democrat new clauses and amendments on related issues.Liberal Democrat · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,429 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0