Comparison of Divisions: Government Regulation — 4 Jul 2005 at 21:59 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
Question accordingly negatived.
Question, That the proposed words be there added, put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 31 (Questions on amendments):-
The House divided: Ayes 304, Noes 203.
The majority of MPs voted in favour of the motion:[1]
-
This House
-
regrets the Government's recent statement[2] outlining the eligibility criteria for Gurkhas to reside in the United Kingdom;
-
recognises the contribution the Gurkhas have made to the safety and freedom of the United Kingdom for the past 200 years;
-
notes that more Gurkhas have laid down their lives for the United Kingdom than are estimated to want to live here;
-
believes that Gurkhas who retired before 1997 should be treated fairly and in the same way as those who have retired since;
-
is concerned that the Government's new guidelines will permit only a small minority of Gurkhas and their families to settle whilst preventing the vast majority;
-
further believes that people who are prepared to fight and die for the United Kingdom should be entitled to live in the country; and
-
calls upon the Government to withdraw its new guidelines immediately and bring forward revised proposals that extend an equal right of residence to all Gurkhas.
As a consequence, the alternative Government motion, which read:[3]
-
This House
-
recognises that this Government is the only one since the Second World War to allow Gurkhas and their families settlement rights to the United Kingdom;
-
notes that in 2004 the Government permitted settlement rights to Gurkhas discharged since 1997, following the transfer of the Brigade HQ from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom;
-
further notes that under these rules around 6,000 Gurkhas and family members have been welcomed to the UK;
-
acknowledges that the court judgement of September 2008 determined that the 1997 cut-off date was fair and rational, while seeking clarification of the criteria for settlement rights for those who retired before 1997;
-
further notes that on 24 April the Government published new and more generous guidelines for the settlement applications of Gurkhas who retired before 1997;
-
supports this revised guidance, which will make around 10,000 Gurkhas and family members eligible to settle in the UK;
-
further notes that the Government undertakes actively to inform those who may be eligible in Nepal of these changes and to review the impact of the new guidance within 12 months;
-
further notes that the contribution Gurkhas have made is already recognised by pensions paid to around 25,000 Gurkhas or their widows in Nepal that allow for a good standard of living there; and
-
further notes that in the year 2000 Gurkha pensions were doubled and that, earlier in April 2009, in addition to an inflationary uplift of 14 per cent., those over 80 years old received a 20 per cent. increase in their pension.
... was never voted upon.
Although this extremely rare Government defeat in an opposition day motion is not binding (has no legal force)[4] a Government minister made a statement later in the day to bring "forward the date for the determination of the outstanding applications to the end of May."[5]
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MPs for which their vote on Motion (a) differed from their inverted vote on Motion (b).
You can also see just opposite votes
between these two divisions,
or simply all the votes.
Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote (a) | Vote (b)
Name | Constituency | Party | Vote (a) | Vote (b) |
Graham Brady | Altrincham and Sale West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Reid | Argyll and Bute | LDem (front bench) | absent |
tellaye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Lidington | Aylesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab | aye |
absent |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Steve McCabe | Birmingham, Hall Green | Lab | absent |
no |
Clare Short | Birmingham, Ladywood | whilst Lab | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | aye |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab | aye |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem | absent |
aye |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Tredinnick | Bosworth | Con | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con | no |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab | aye |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Eric Forth | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
aye |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con | no |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab | aye |
aye |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab | absent |
no |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab | absent |
aye |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | aye |
aye |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab | aye |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Richard Ottaway | Croydon South | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alan Milburn | Darlington | Lab | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Hanson | Delyn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Ian Pearson | Dudley South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem | absent |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Piara S Khabra | Ealing, Southall | Lab | aye |
absent |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con | no |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab | aye |
absent |
Tim Loughton | East Worthing and Shoreham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem | absent |
aye |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab | aye |
absent |
Hugh Robertson | Faversham and Mid Kent | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | aye |
absent |
Mark Harper | Forest of Dean | Con | absent |
aye |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con | no |
absent |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John MacDougall | Glenrothes | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem | absent |
aye |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con | absent |
aye |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab | aye |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab | aye |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab | aye |
aye |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | aye |
aye |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con | no |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Lilley | Hitchin and Harpenden | Con | absent |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | aye |
aye |
Des Browne | Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab | aye |
aye |
Gillian Merron | Lincoln | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Lab | aye |
absent |
Robin Cook | Livingston | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jim Devine | Livingston | Lab | absent |
no |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab | aye |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Margaret Moran | Luton South | Lab | absent |
no |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con | absent |
aye |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tony Lloyd | Manchester Central | Lab | absent |
no |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | aye |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | aye |
aye |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab | aye |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Richard Benyon | Newbury | Con | absent |
aye |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Paisley | North Antrim | DUP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab | aye |
absent |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | absent |
no |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con | no |
absent |
Michael Wills | North Swindon | Lab | absent |
no |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab | aye |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con | no |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con | no |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con | no |
absent |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con | no |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem | absent |
aye |
David Maclean | Penrith and The Border | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stewart Jackson | Peterborough | Con | absent |
aye |
Yvette Cooper | Pontefract and Castleford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab | aye |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con | absent |
aye |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Wright | Rugby and Kenilworth | Con | absent |
aye |
Alan Duncan | Rutland and Melton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
Robert Key | Salisbury | Con | absent |
aye |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab | aye |
absent |
Fiona Mactaggart | Slough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Lansley | South Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab | aye |
absent |
Stephen Ladyman | South Thanet | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Purnell | Stalybridge and Hyde | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Barbara Follett | Stevenage | Lab | absent |
no |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab | aye |
absent |
George Osborne | Tatton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Laurence Robertson | Tewkesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab | absent |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | absent |
aye |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Randall | Uxbridge | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Bruce George | Walsall South | Lab | absent |
no |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab | aye |
aye |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Healey | Wentworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab | aye |
absent |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Albert Owen | Ynys Môn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
The measure of similarity between these two divisions is a calculation
based on a comparison of their votes.
There were
645 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 25 voted the same way, with 389 voting in opposite ways.
There were 43 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 188 who voted in only one of them.
We invert the vote on the second division if it makes the distance closer (since the meaning of
'Aye' and 'No' are often interchangeable depending on how the question was put).
In this case, they line up on opposite sides.
An 's vote in in only one of the divisions contributes a factor of 0.2 to the distance.
The calculation runs as follows:
ratio =
[same-votes]
([same-votes] + [differing-votes] + 0.2x[abstain-in-one])
=
389
(389 + 25 + 0.2x188)
=
389
451.6
=
0.861
=
86.1 %.