Comparison of Divisions: Opposition Day — [12th allotted day] — Secretary of State for Health — 23 May 2007 at 18:48 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
Question accordingly negatived.
Question, That the proposed words be there added, put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 31 (Questions on amendments):-
The House divided: Ayes 269, Noes 207.
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) |
Frank Doran | Aberdeen North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne Begg | Aberdeen South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Tony Baldry | Banbury | Con | absent |
aye |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeff Ennis | Barnsley East and Mexborough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | aye |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | aye |
absent |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | aye |
aye |
Brian Iddon | Bolton South East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Tredinnick | Bosworth | Con | absent |
aye |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Terry Rooney | Bradford North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gerry Sutcliffe | Bradford South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Dawn Butler | Brent South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Desmond Turner | Brighton, Kemptown | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Doug Naysmith | Bristol North West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Dawn Primarolo | Bristol South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Wayne David | Caerphilly | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | 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 |
David Jones | Clwyd West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | Cotswold | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Howard Stoate | Dartford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con | no |
absent |
Bob Laxton | Derby North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Stephen O'Brien | Eddisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nigel Griffiths | Edinburgh South | Lab | absent |
no |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew Love | Edmonton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eleanor Laing | Epping Forest | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Taylor | Esher and Walton | Con | absent |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | aye |
absent |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mohammad Sarwar | Glasgow Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
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 | absent |
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) | absent |
aye |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Greg Hands | Hammersmith and Fulham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Fraser Kemp | Houghton and Washington East | Lab | absent |
no |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Chris Mole | Ipswich | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | aye |
aye |
Stephen Hepburn | Jarrow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Des Browne | Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Johnson | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
George Howarth | Knowsley North and Sefton East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
George Mudie | Leeds East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jim Dowd | Lewisham West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Michael Connarty | Linlithgow and East Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jane Kennedy | Liverpool, Wavertree | Lab | absent |
no |
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 |
Margaret Moran | Luton South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Whittingdale | Maldon and East Chelmsford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | aye |
aye |
Keith Simpson | Mid Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Wills | North Swindon | Lab | absent |
no |
George Young | North West Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | aye |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab | aye |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Alison Seabeck | Plymouth, Devonport | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Linda Gilroy | Plymouth, Sutton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | no |
absent |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kevin Barron | Rother Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
Hazel Blears | Salford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Elliot Morley | Scunthorpe | Lab | absent |
no |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Michael Fallon | Sevenoaks | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Borrow | South Ribble | 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 |
Sir David Amess | Southend West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Charlotte Atkins | Staffordshire Moorlands | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
Bill Cash | Stone | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alan Williams | Swansea West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sadiq Khan | Tooting | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Clelland | Tyne Bridge | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Angela Watkinson | Upminster | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab | absent |
aye |
Bruce George | Walsall South | Lab | absent |
no |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Dan Norris | Wansdyke | 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 |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
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 |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (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 23 voted the same way, with 372 voting in opposite ways.
There were 52 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 199 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])
=
372
(372 + 23 + 0.2x199)
=
372
434.8
=
0.856
=
85.6 %.