Comparison of Divisions: Licensing Act 2003 — 12 Jul 2005 at 21:49 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
This was an "opposition day" debate, where the opposition party proposes a motion, and the government, which holds the majority, always votes it down and replaces it with its own motion.
Those voting no rejected the motion that was being debated, which read:
This House notes with concern that with only 25 days to go before the 6th August deadline set in the Licensing Act 2003, only 20 per cent. of licence applications have been received; further notes the chaos that this is creating both for the licensing trade and for local authorities; is concerned by the problems of extra cost that the legislation is creating for village halls, sports clubs and community centres; regrets the effect that this will have upon local communities; condemns the Government for its lack of action in dealing with the problem; and calls upon the Government to extend the deadlines for the receipt of applications and re-examine the impact upon village halls and sports clubs.
A new motion was then put in place, which read:
This House commends the Government on its effective publicity campaign that has significantly increased the rate of applications to convert existing licences under the Licensing Act 2003 before 6th August; encourages remaining licensees to fulfil their responsibilities and get their applications in before that date; considers that failure to implement the Act without delay would deny local communities increased powers of intervention and improved democratic accountability with regard to licensing and deny the police the expanded powers that are vital to their efforts to tackle alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour; welcomes the powers in the Act to prevent crime and disorder and public nuisance, and protect children from harm; believes that the Act will benefit local communities, local economies and tourism and generate savings for business of almost £2 billion over 10 years; and furthermore, believes that the Act will be successfully implemented by 24th November 2005 and will be welcomed by industry and non-commercial organisations, including village halls and sports clubs, alike.
This then passed without a further vote.
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 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) |
Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Graham Brady | Altrincham and Sale West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Tony Baldry | Banbury | Con | absent |
aye |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab | no |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab | no |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab | no |
absent |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | no |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | no |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab | no |
absent |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | no |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Steve McCabe | Birmingham, Hall Green | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Clare Short | Birmingham, Ladywood | whilst Lab | no |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab | no |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | no |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Robathan | Blaby | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab | no |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Mark Simmonds | Boston and Skegness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Tredinnick | Bosworth | Con | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con | aye |
absent |
Terry Rooney | Bradford North | Lab | absent |
no |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab | no |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Eric Forth | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
aye |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con | aye |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab | no |
aye |
John Bercow | Buckingham | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab | absent |
no |
David Chaytor | Bury North | Lab | absent |
no |
Wayne David | Caerphilly | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab | no |
aye |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con | aye |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab | no |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gwyneth Dunwoody | Crewe and Nantwich | Lab | no |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Ann Clwyd | Cynon Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | no |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Caroline Flint | Don Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab | no |
absent |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem | absent |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Piara S Khabra | Ealing, Southall | Lab | no |
absent |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
John Cummings | Easington | Lab | absent |
no |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con | aye |
absent |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab | no |
absent |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab | absent |
no |
Stephen O'Brien | Eddisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem | absent |
aye |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | no |
absent |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Eleanor Laing | Epping Forest | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab | no |
absent |
Ian Taylor | Esher and Walton | Con | absent |
aye |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Mark Durkan | Foyle | SDLP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con | aye |
absent |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab | no |
absent |
John MacDougall | Glenrothes | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab | no |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab | no |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab | no |
aye |
Greg Hands | Hammersmith and Fulham | Con | absent |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Gareth Thomas | Harrow West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | no |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Mark Prisk | Hertford and Stortford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
James Brokenshire | Hornchurch | Con | absent |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Fraser Kemp | Houghton and Washington East | Lab | absent |
no |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab | no |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Emily Thornberry | Islington South and Finsbury | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Malcolm Rifkind | Kensington and Chelsea | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Johnson | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab | no |
absent |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | no |
aye |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab | no |
aye |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Robin Cook | Livingston | Lab | no |
absent |
Jim Devine | Livingston | Lab | absent |
no |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab | no |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con | absent |
aye |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab | no |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | no |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | aye |
absent |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con | aye |
absent |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Wills | North Swindon | Lab | absent |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab | no |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con | aye |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab | no |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | no |
aye |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con | aye |
absent |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | no |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con | aye |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem | absent |
aye |
Douglas Alexander | Paisley and Renfrewshire South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Maclean | Penrith and The Border | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Yvette Cooper | Pontefract and Castleford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | no |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab | no |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nick Hurd | Ruislip - Northwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Duncan | Rutland and Melton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | aye |
absent |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab | no |
absent |
Daniel Kawczynski | Shrewsbury and Atcham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab | no |
absent |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con | aye |
absent |
Anne Main | St Albans | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ann Coffey | Stockport | Lab | absent |
no |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab | no |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Joan Walley | Stoke-on-Trent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Iris Robinson | Strangford | DUP | aye |
absent |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab | no |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab | no |
aye |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab | absent |
no |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab | no |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab | no |
absent |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab | no |
absent |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent | 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 380 voted the same way, with 25 voting in opposite ways.
There were 46 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 194 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 the same way.
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])
=
380
(380 + 25 + 0.2x194)
=
380
443.8
=
0.856
=
85.6 %.