Comparison of Divisions: Support for Members Who Have Chosen Not to Take Their Seats — 8 Feb 2006 at 17:59 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
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) |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gerald Howarth | Aldershot | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Reid | Argyll and Bute | LDem (front bench) | aye |
tellaye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | aye |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gregory Barker | Bexhill and Battle | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Baron | Billericay | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Tredinnick | Bosworth | Con | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Terry Rooney | Bradford North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
David Lepper | Brighton, Pavilion | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kerry McCarthy | Bristol East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Doug Naysmith | Bristol North West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Eric Forth | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
aye |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Bercow | Buckingham | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Harriet Harman | Camberwell and Peckham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Iain Duncan Smith | Chingford and Woodford Green | Con | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Christopher Chope | Christchurch | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ann Winterton | Congleton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gwyneth Dunwoody | Crewe and Nantwich | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | 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 | aye |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem | absent |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Piara S Khabra | Ealing, Southall | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Love | Edmonton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Taylor | Esher and Walton | Con | absent |
aye |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
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 (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Viggers | Gosport | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | 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 (minister) | aye |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | aye |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Jabez Foster | Hastings and Rye | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Dismore | Hendon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | aye |
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) | aye |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | aye |
aye |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | 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 | aye |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
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 |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab (minister) | 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 |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Davies | Monmouth | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab | absent |
no |
Jim Cousins | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 (minister) | aye |
absent |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
tellaye |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | absent |
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 |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Nick Hurd | Ruislip - Northwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Robert Key | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tony Blair | Sedgefield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Derek Wyatt | Sittingbourne and Sheppey | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Douglas Hogg | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con | aye |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Lansley | South Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Todd | South Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gary Streeter | South West Devon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Hunt | South West Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
Iris Robinson | Strangford | DUP | no |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Murphy | Torfaen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | aye |
aye |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab | absent |
no |
John Spellar | Warley | Lab | absent |
no |
Helen Jones | Warrington North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John McFall | West Dunbartonshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Penrose | Weston-Super-Mare | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ben Chapman | Wirral South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stephen Hesford | Wirral West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | aye |
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 40 voted the same way, with 376 voting in opposite ways.
There were 43 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 186 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])
=
376
(376 + 40 + 0.2x186)
=
376
453.2
=
0.830
=
83.0 %.