Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill — Abolish the offense of Blasphemy — rejected — 7 Feb 2005 at 18:05

The majority of MPs voted to retain the offence of blasphemy and blasphemous libel in British law.

They did this by voting against inserting a new clause into the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, which said:

  • The offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel are abolished.[1]

During the debate it was asserted that all votes in this issue are free for members of the Conservative Party.[2]

Debate in Parliament | Historical Hansard | Source |

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Party Summary

Votes by party, red entries are votes against the majority for that party.

What is Tell? '+1 tell' means that in addition one member of that party was a teller for that division lobby.

What are Boths? An MP can vote both aye and no in the same division. The boths page explains this.

What is Turnout? This is measured against the total membership of the party at the time of the vote.

PartyMajority (No)Minority (Aye)BothTurnout
Con68 20 (+1 tell)055.3%
DUP6 0085.7%
Independent0 1033.3%
Lab262 (+2 tell) 34173.3%
LDem1 24 (+1 tell)047.3%
UUP1 0020.0%
Total:338 79166.0%

Rebel Voters - sorted by constituency

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party. You can see all votes in this division, or every eligible MP who could have voted in this division

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
David HeyesAshton-under-LyneLab (minister)aye
David LidingtonAylesburyCon (front bench)aye
Mike WoodBatley and SpenLabaye
Dominic GrieveBeaconsfieldCon (front bench)aye
Mr James CranBeverley and HoldernessCon (front bench)aye
Lynne JonesBirmingham, Selly OakLabaye
Mr Llew SmithBlaenau GwentLabaye
Dennis SkinnerBolsoverLab (minister)aye
Terry RooneyBradford NorthLab (minister)aye
Ian Liddell-GraingerBridgwaterCon (front bench)aye
John BercowBuckinghamCon (front bench)tellaye
Tony WrightCannock ChaseLab (minister)aye
Sir Sydney ChapmanChipping BarnetCon (front bench)aye
Mark FieldCities of London and WestminsterCon (front bench)aye
Mrs Anne PickingEast LothianLab (minister)aye
Alan KeenFeltham and HestonLab (minister)aye
Diane AbbottHackney North and Stoke NewingtonLabaye
Mr Brian SedgemoreHackney South and ShoreditchLabaye
Mrs Alice MahonHalifaxLabaye
Glenda JacksonHampstead and HighgateLabaye
John Martin McDonnellHayes and HarlingtonLabaye
Mr Tony McWalterHemel HempsteadLab (minister)aye
Jon TrickettHemsworthLab (minister)aye
Frank DobsonHolborn and St PancrasLabaye
John CryerHornchurchLabaye
Jeremy CorbynIslington NorthLabaye
Ann CryerKeighleyLab (minister)aye
Roger BerryKingswoodLab (minister)aye
Mr Harold BestLeeds North WestLab (minister)aye
Robert WareingLiverpool, West DerbyLabaye
Robin CookLivingstonLabaye
Kelvin HopkinsLuton NorthLab (minister)aye
Robert Marshall-AndrewsMedwayLabaye
Peter LuffMid WorcestershireCon (front bench)aye
Colin ChallenMorley and RothwellLab (minister)aye
Mr Calum MacDonaldNa h-Eileanan an IarLabaye
Robert WalterNorth DorsetCon (front bench)aye
Mr Harry BarnesNorth East DerbyshireLabaye
David TaylorNorth West LeicestershireLab (minister)both
Alan SimpsonNottingham SouthLab (minister)aye
Derek ConwayOld Bexley and SidcupCon (front bench)aye
Gordon PrenticePendleLab (minister)aye
Mike HancockPortsmouth SouthLDem (front bench)no
Martin SalterReading WestLab (minister)aye
Kenneth ClarkeRushcliffeCon (front bench)aye
Robert KeySalisburyCon (front bench)aye
David CurrySkipton and RiponCon (front bench)aye
Douglas HoggSleaford and North HykehamConaye
David WilshireSpelthorneCon (front bench)aye
Mark FisherStoke-on-Trent CentralLab (minister)aye
John GummerSuffolk CoastalCon (front bench)aye
Andrew MitchellSutton ColdfieldCon (front bench)aye
George OsborneTattonCon (front bench)aye
Laurence RobertsonTewkesburyCon (front bench)aye
Neil GerrardWalthamstowLab (minister)aye
David CameronWitneyConaye
Peter BottomleyWorthing WestCon (front bench)aye

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