Lords reform in disarray as timetable motion withdrawn An appeal by David Cameron for Labour to back the Lords reform programme motion was unsuccessful. Photograph: Andrew Winning/PA The government has been forced into a humiliating retreat, shelving a key vote on Lords reform in an acknowledgement that they faced certain defeat by Tory rebels. The retreat saved David Cameron from suffering the coalition's first Commons defeat in a whipped vote as Labour MPs were set to join the rebels in opposing the "programme motion," which sets out the timetable for scrutinising the legislation in the house. But it leaves the plans for Lords reform - which would introduce an 80% elected/20% appointed upper chamber - in disarray and the Commons in stalemate. The government insisted it would not proceed with the legislation without passing a new programme motion; Labour insisted it would not proceed with one, preferring to debate each element without a time limit until their concerns were satisfied. Without the schedule, the way is left open for opponents of the change to filibuster the legislation when it returns for committee stage in September, potentially dominating the legislative timetable and knocking out debate on any other bill. The leader of the house, Sir George Young, told the Commons that more details on how matters would proceed would be provided on Thursday. After several unsuccessful public appeals to Labour throughout the day to back the programme motion, including by Cameron, Young announced there would be no vote on Tuesday setting out time limits for the bill's next stages. Announcing the decision as the second day of debate on the bill began, Young said the government would produce a new timetable for the legislation in the autumn and sought to blame Labour for the delay. A vote on the second reading of the bill will still take place on Tuesday evening, which is expected to be passed with Labour's backing. Young told MPs he was confident the second reading would secure a "significant majority." On the programme motion, he said: "For Lords reform to progress, it needs those that support reform to vote for reform and to vote for that reform to make progress through this house. It is clear that the opposition are not prepared to do that, so we will not move the programme motion tonight. Mr Speaker, we remain committed to making progress on Lords reform and with the second reading behind us, we will then consider how best to take this agenda forward and how best to secure progress through the house. The government will move a timetable motion before we make progress in the autumn in accordance with the rules of the house. The shadow Commons leader, Angela Eagle, hailed the climbdown as a "victory for parliament." Earlier in the afternoon, the prime minister had appealed to Labour not to unite with Tory rebels to defeat the timetabling motion. Speaking at 10 Downing Street after talks with the French president, François Hollande, Cameron told journalists it was extraordinary that Labour was planning to oppose the vote. What I have always said about Lords reform is that in order for it to happen, all of those that support reforming the House of Lords need to act together, work together and vote together. I think it is quite extraordinary that the Labour party, which has stood on manifesto after manifesto to reform the House of Lords, is planning to oppose the programme motion and therefore stop this reform going ahead. Asked whether it would be better to drop the programme motion to avert defeat, Cameron did not address the issue directly but instead forecast that the government would win the main vote on the bill's second reading - which Labour supports. The prediction I would make is that there will be a very big majority for the government's bill to reform the House of Lords. I think that's absolutely vital and that will be a big step forward. He said the Lords was ripe for reform. It has got up to 900 people, there are still people there who are there because their ancestors were given a peerage decades ago.