Comparison of Divisions: Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill — New Clause "21" — Power to implement Law Commission recommendations — 15 May 2006 at 21:45 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
Those voting Aye agreed that a new clause be added into the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill that was understood to be replacing the functions of the part 1(b) of old clause 1, the first part of which was replaced in Division 231.
The important text of the new clause read:
A Minister of the Crown may by order under this section make any provision which he considers [necessary to implement the] recommendations of any one or more of the United Kingdom Law Commissions, with or without changes.
[T]he provisions... include... amending or abolishing any rule of law,... conferring functions on any person,... [and] abolishing a body or office established by... an enactment.
A small change to this new clause was rejected in Division 234.
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 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) |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem | aye |
aye |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem | aye |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Paul Holmes | Chesterfield | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | aye |
aye |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | aye |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Alan Reid | Argyll and Bute | LDem (front bench) | aye |
tellaye |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | aye |
tellaye |
Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | aye |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem | aye |
aye |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | aye |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | aye |
aye |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Greg Clark | Tunbridge Wells | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | absent |
aye |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Geoffrey Cox | Torridge and West Devon | Con | absent |
aye |
David Curry | Skipton and Ripon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Dorrell | Charnwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nadine Dorries | Mid Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Garnier | Harborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William Hague | Richmond (Yorks) | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Charles Hendry | Wealden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Herbert | Arundel and South Downs | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab | absent |
aye |
Douglas Hogg | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con | absent |
aye |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Nick Hurd | Ruislip - Northwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Key | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Eleanor Laing | Epping Forest | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Lancaster | North East Milton Keynes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Liddell-Grainger | Bridgwater | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Lidington | Aylesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Lilley | Hitchin and Harpenden | Con | absent |
aye |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Anne Main | St Albans | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Mercer | Newark | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
aye |
George Osborne | Tatton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Ottaway | Croydon South | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Paice | South East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Laurence Robertson | Tewkesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Keith Simpson | Mid Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nicholas Soames | Mid Sussex | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anthony Steen | Totnes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gary Streeter | South West Devon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Tapsell | Louth and Horncastle | Con | absent |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | absent |
aye |
Theresa Villiers | Chipping Barnet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Nigel Waterson | Eastbourne | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nicholas Winterton | Macclesfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Celia Barlow | Hove | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Borrow | South Ribble | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Chris Bryant | Rhondda | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Liam Byrne | Birmingham, Hodge Hill | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Cairns | Inverclyde | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Chaytor | Bury North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Crausby | Bolton North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Wayne David | Caerphilly | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
John Denham | Southampton, Itchen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Drew | Stroud | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Maria Eagle | Liverpool, Garston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Barbara Follett | Stevenage | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Linda Gilroy | Plymouth, Sutton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Goggins | Wythenshawe and Sale East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Hanson | Delyn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Dai Havard | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Patricia Hewitt | Leicester West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kim Howells | Pontypridd | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Brian Jenkins | Tamworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kevan Jones | North Durham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bob Laxton | Derby North | Lab | absent |
no |
Eric Martlew | Carlisle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Steve McCabe | Birmingham, Hall Green | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Sarah McCarthy-Fry | Portsmouth North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Milburn | Darlington | Lab | absent |
no |
Dawn Primarolo | Bristol South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Chris Ruane | Vale of Clwyd | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Tami | Alyn and Deeside | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gareth Thomas | Harrow West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Todd | South Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Desmond Turner | Brighton, Kemptown | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Joan Walley | Stoke-on-Trent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Wills | North Swindon | Lab | absent |
no |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | aye |
both |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | aye |
absent |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | 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 |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | aye |
absent |
Piara S Khabra | Ealing, Southall | Lab (minister) | 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 |
John MacDougall | Glenrothes | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | 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 |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem | aye |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Lab | aye |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | 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 |
Michael Jack | Fylde | 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 |
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 |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | no |
absent |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
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 72 voted the same way, with 315 voting in opposite ways.
There were 62 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 196 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])
=
315
(315 + 72 + 0.2x196)
=
315
426.2
=
0.739
=
73.9 %.