The coalition's substantial defeat was 237 votes to 194. It secured a compromise that limits the range of controlled activities by NGOs that staff costs will apply to, though it does not remove them. The amendment, along with several others, was tabled by Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the former Bishop of Oxford, on behalf of the Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement (CCSDE). Joe Irvin, chief executive of the local infrastructure body NAVCA, said that these changes had "turned an awful bill into what might at best be described as a deeply flawed bill". 

The vote can still be overturned by the government at the so-called 'ping pong' stage of parliamentary procedure following the Third Reading, when the Commons votes on amendments from the Lords.  A series of other concessions was also achieved, and Lord Wallace, for the government, agreed to talk to the Electoral Commission about spending limits for non-party organisations.  However, critics of the legislation say that significant problems remain, and that even after yesterday’s changes, the Lobbying Bill would still limit charities and campaigning organisations from speaking out ahead of elections on some of the most important issues facing the country and the planet.  "Ministers must think again before this bill becomes law," said Liz Hutchins, senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth in England.  Full story