Comparison of Divisions: Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill — 23 Nov 2005 at 18:48 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
Question put, That the amendment be made:-
The House divided: Ayes 258, Noes 313.
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]
Public Whip is run as a free not-for-profit service. If you'd like to support us, please
consider switching your (UK) electricity and/or gas to
Octopus Energy or
tip us via Ko-Fi.
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) |
Hywel Francis | Aberavon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | 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 |
Alex Salmond | Banff and Buchan | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | no |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Clare Short | Birmingham, Ladywood | whilst Lab | no |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | no |
absent |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Crausby | Bolton North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ann Keen | Brentford and Isleworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | tellno |
aye |
Dawn Primarolo | Bristol South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Forth | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
aye |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Eric Martlew | Carlisle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | no |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | no |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab | no |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (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 (minister) | no |
absent |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jim Murphy | East Renfrewshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew Miller | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Tom Harris | Glasgow South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con | absent |
aye |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab | no |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | no |
aye |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | no |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gareth Thomas | Harrow West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | no |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con | aye |
absent |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Lab | no |
absent |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | no |
aye |
Dai Havard | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nicholas Soames | Mid Sussex | Con | absent |
aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Stuart Bell | Middlesbrough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab | absent |
no |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
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 |
Ian Paisley | North Antrim | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | aye |
absent |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Mark Lancaster | North East Milton Keynes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | no |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | no |
aye |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con (front bench) | 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 (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Gordon Prentice | Pendle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Linda Gilroy | Plymouth, Sutton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | no |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Chris Bryant | Rhondda | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | aye |
absent |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Alan Duncan | Rutland and Melton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | aye |
absent |
Robert Key | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Lansley | South Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Borrow | South Ribble | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Iris Robinson | Strangford | DUP | aye |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Brian Jenkins | Tamworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bruce George | Walsall South | Lab | absent |
no |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
The measure of similarity between these two divisions is a calculation
based on a comparison of their votes.
There were
646 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 436 voted the same way, with 27 voting in opposite ways.
There were 27 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 156 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])
=
436
(436 + 27 + 0.2x156)
=
436
494.2
=
0.882
=
88.2 %.