Comparison of Divisions: Racial and Religious Hatred Bill — 31 Jan 2006 at 19:49 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
Those voting No agreed that the "Lords amendment No. 4" should remain in the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. This had been a replacement of most of its contents.
The the original version of the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill passed by the Commons on 11 July 2005 changed "racial hatred" to "racial and religious hatred" in several places in the Public Order Act 1986, and defined the offence with regard:
"to all... words, behaviour or material[s]... that are likely to be heard or seen by any person in whom... they are likely to stir up racial or religious hatred."
In place of this, the Lords applied "Lords amendment No. 4", resulting in a version that said:
A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends... to stir up religious hatred.
It went on to be very specific about the rules in relation to performances, witnesses making accurate statements in court, and the right of free expression.
Had the MPs voted against this Lords amendment, the Government would have substituted a new compromise version which was a combination of the two versions, but added the extra provision:
[A person] is guilty of an offence if... he intends... to stir up religious hatred, or... is reckless as to whether religious hatred would be stirred up [by his actions].
It appears that the fundamental dispute is that the Lords require there to be an intent to stir up hatred, rather than the intention to, say, crack a funny joke which the police happen to believe could be likely to stir up hatred.
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) |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | no |
absent |
Eric Forth | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | no |
absent |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Burt | North East Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Roger Gale | North Thanet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Douglas Hogg | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
aye |
Mark Simmonds | Boston and Skegness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ann Winterton | Congleton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nicholas Winterton | Macclesfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Paisley | North Antrim | DUP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Iris Robinson | Strangford | DUP | no |
absent |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | aye |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | aye |
absent |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Piara S Khabra | Ealing, Southall | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab | aye |
absent |
Clare Short | Birmingham, Ladywood | whilst Lab | aye |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab | aye |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Joe Benton | Bootle | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
John Grogan | Selby | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
Gordon Prentice | Pendle | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab | no |
no |
Tony Wright | Cannock Chase | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Lab | no |
absent |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | absent |
aye |
Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab | absent |
no |
Gordon Banks | Ochil and South Perthshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne Begg | Aberdeen South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Clive Betts | Sheffield, Attercliffe | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Russell Brown | Dumfries and Galloway | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Connarty | Linlithgow and East Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Davidson | Glasgow South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
David Drew | Stroud | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Jabez Foster | Hastings and Rye | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hywel Francis | Aberavon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Hanson | Delyn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tom Harris | Glasgow South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Joyce | Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gerald Kaufman | Manchester, Gorton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Lazarowicz | Edinburgh North and Leith | Lab | absent |
no |
David Lepper | Brighton, Pavilion | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Steve McCabe | Birmingham, Hall Green | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Rosemary McKenna | Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Madeleine Moon | Bridgend | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab | absent |
no |
Ian Pearson | Dudley South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Frank Roy | Motherwell and Wishaw | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Angela Smith | Basildon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Graham Stringer | Manchester, Blackley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | no |
absent |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem | no |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem | absent |
aye |
George Galloway | Bethnal Green and Bow | Respect | aye |
absent |
Mark Durkan | Foyle | SDLP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Alex Salmond | Banff and Buchan | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
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 22 voted the same way, with 435 voting in opposite ways.
There were 27 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 161 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])
=
435
(435 + 22 + 0.2x161)
=
435
489.2
=
0.889
=
88.9 %.