Opposition day: Defence spending and readiness
108Ayes
307Noes
Defeated · majority 199 · Government won235 did not vote
650 Members · Aye 108 · No 307 · DNV 235 · grey dots in centre are abstentions
Analysis
Commons
Commons
Parliament voted on 23 June 2026 on an opposition day motion tabled by the Conservatives on defence spending and military readiness. The motion was defeated by 307 votes to 108. Opposition day motions are a procedural device allowing parties outside government to set the agenda and force a vote on a chosen issue; they do not change law but carry political weight as a public statement of intent. The defeat means Parliament did not endorse the opposition's position that the government needs to go further or faster on defence investment and armed forces capability. The government's existing plans for defence spending and military readiness remain unchanged by this vote. The motion will have been watched closely given the ongoing debate over NATO commitments and the pressure on European allies to increase defence budgets. The division was almost entirely partisan. All 262 Labour MPs and all 33 Labour and Co-operative MPs voted no, as did Plaid Cymru, the Greens, and the small Your Party grouping. All 97 voting Conservatives backed the motion, joined by all five Democratic Unionist Party MPs, one Ulster Unionist MP, and one Restore Britain MP. Three independents voted aye and three voted no. A companion division on the same day recorded 294 ayes and 110 noes on a Prime Minister's amendment to the same motion, suggesting the government put forward an alternative text that passed comfortably with Labour support while the original Conservative motion fell.
Voting Aye meant
Support the opposition's position that defence spending and military readiness require greater or more urgent government action than current plans provide.
Voting No meant
Reject the opposition motion, defending the government's existing approach to defence investment and military capability as adequate or on the right trajectory.
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
262
98
Conservative and Unionist Party
Whipped Aye
97
0
19
Liberal Democrats
—
0
0
71
Labour and Co-operative Party
Whipped No
0
33
9
Independent
—
3
3
7
Reform UK
—
0
0
8
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
Whipped No
0
3
2
Plaid Cymru
Whipped No
0
4
0
Social Democratic and Labour Party
—
0
0
2
Your Party
—
0
2
0
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
—
0
0
1
Restore Britain
—
1
0
0
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
Defence spending must reach 3% of GDP or minimum £28 billion immediately; DIP delay is chaos; Defence Secretary and Armed Forces Minister resignations prove Labour prioritises welfare over defence; calls on government to cut welfare to fund defence.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (4,996 words) →
Government has delivered biggest defence uplift since Cold War, raised recruitment and retention, signed 1,400 contracts; DIP will be published before NATO summit; previous Conservative governments hollowed out armed forces; Labour is rebuilding capability.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (2,204 words) →
Defence investment plan must be published urgently; spending should reach 3% by 2030; £20 billion defence bonds would unlock investment; Britain must lead European defence; Northern Ireland Troubles Bill should be scrapped as incompatible with human rights.Liberal Democrat · Voted no_vote_recorded · Read full speech (2,741 words) →
UK is in conflict with Russia and is frontline nation; defence debate must focus on capability not just spending numbers; Government has awarded major contracts and improved pay; Russian cyber and hybrid threats are real and present.Labour · Voted no · Read full speech (1,931 words) →
Risk has been passed between Governments since Cold War and has crystallised; Britain came 31st of 32 NATO members on rearmament; procurement reform urgent; Ukraine model shows five-day requirement-to-delivery possible.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (2,691 words) →
Prime Minister offered only 0.08% GDP increase (£10 billion real terms) for Defence Investment Plan, which prompted Defence Secretary resignation; grossly inadequate for national security.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (79 words) →
Uncertainty created by potential new Prime Minister with unknown defence priorities damages defence industry and dual-use companies; need far more certainty on defence policy.Conservative · Voted aye · Read full speech (114 words) →
Sources
Division dataUK Parliament Votes API
DebateHansard · Commons
Stance analysisAI analysis · Claude 4.x
LicenceOpen Parliament Licence v3.0