The proposal that was put forward by former Home Office minister and Labour MP Fiona McTaggart who believed it could help curb demand for women who are trafficked into the UK for prostitution.
However, the amendment failed to win enough support from MPs who voted it down by 283 to 229 votes in a House of Commons on Tuesday evening.
Critics of the proposal were worried it could discourage people from reporting suspected cases of trafficking and see consenting adults prosecuted for engaging in sexual acts.
Speaking before the vote Mandy Marshall, co-director, Restored, a Christian charity tackling violence against women disagrees, speaking on Premier's News Hour she said: "A part of this law will enable them to start to work towards exiting that profession and get the support that they need, so by criminalising the purchasing of sex rather than the selling of sex enables women to access the support without the stigma and the shame which is often surrounds this area of work."
If passed the amendment would see a person found guilty of paying for sex face a minimum 12 month jail term, a fine or both.
Currently the act of prostitution is not in itself illegal in England and Wales, but a string of laws criminalises activities around it.
Meanwhile, the Modern Slavery Bill has passed its third stage and has now moved to the House of Lords for further debate.
