Comparison of Divisions: Opposition Day — Iraq Inquiry — 11 Jun 2007 at 19:45 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted against holding an inquiry into the Iraq war at this time.
Those voting Aye passed replaced the words of the previous motion with the following:
-
This House
-
notes the Resolution of 31st October 2006;
-
recognises that there have already been four separate independent committees of inquiry into military action in Iraq;
-
further recognises the importance of learning all possible lessons from military action in Iraq and its aftermath; and
-
therefore declines at this time, whilst the whole effort of the Government and the armed forces is directed towards improving the condition of Iraq, to make a proposal for a further inquiry which would divert attention from this vital task.
This amended motion then passed automatically.
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) |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Bercow | Buckingham | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Roger Berry | Kingswood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside | Lab | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con | no |
absent |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Des Browne | Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Douglas Carswell | Harwich | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Chaytor | Bury North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab | aye |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Connarty | Linlithgow and East Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | absent |
aye |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Cousins | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stephen Crabb | Preseli Pembrokeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jim Devine | Livingston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Brian H Donohoe | Central Ayrshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeff Ennis | Barnsley East and Mexborough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | no |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | absent |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem | absent |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
Dominic Grieve | Beaconsfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
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 |
Sharon Hodgson | Gateshead East and Washington West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab | absent |
aye |
Paul Holmes | Chesterfield | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Kim Howells | Pontypridd | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Beverley Hughes | Stretford and Urmston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Hutton | Barrow and Furness | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Joyce | Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Lammy | Tottenham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Julian Lewis | New Forest East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Lidington | Aylesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Fiona Mactaggart | Slough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | aye |
absent |
Anne Main | St Albans | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Theresa May | Maidenhead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Moran | Luton South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jessica Morden | Newport East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Meg Munn | Sheffield, Heeley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jim Murphy | East Renfrewshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem | no |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Dawn Primarolo | Bristol South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mohammad Sarwar | Glasgow Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Barry Sheerman | Huddersfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Soulsby | Leicester South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Helen Southworth | Warrington South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Howard Stoate | Dartford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Graham Stringer | Manchester, Blackley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | both |
both |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Timms | East Ham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Todd | South Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con | absent |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | aye |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
John Whittingdale | Maldon and East Chelmsford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ann Winterton | Congleton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nicholas Winterton | Macclesfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Tony Wright | Cannock Chase | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | 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 14 voted the same way, with 404 voting in opposite ways.
There were 50 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 178 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])
=
404
(404 + 14 + 0.2x178)
=
404
453.6
=
0.891
=
89.1 %.