Comparison of Divisions: Orders of the Day — Clause 1 — Meaning of "the probation purposes" — 18 Jul 2007 at 19:30 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
I beg to move, That this House agrees with the Lords in the said amendments.
Motion made, and Question put, That amendment (a) thereto be made:- [Claire Ward.]
The House divided: Ayes 266, Noes 127.
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 |
Adam Afriyie | Windsor | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Ainsworth | Coventry North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Ainsworth | East Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Douglas Alexander | Paisley and Renfrewshire South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Anderson | Blaydon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hilary Armstrong | North West Durham | Lab | absent |
no |
Peter Atkinson | Hexham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Vera Baird | Redcar | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab | absent |
no |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Henry Bellingham | North West Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Bercow | Buckingham | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Roberta Blackman-Woods | City of Durham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Crispin Blunt | Reigate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con | no |
absent |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (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 |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Russell Brown | Dumfries and Galloway | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Angela Browning | Tiverton and Honiton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Burt | North East Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab | aye |
aye |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | no |
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 |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Rosie Cooper | West Lancashire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | aye |
aye |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Cousins | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Geoffrey Cox | Torridge and West Devon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Curry | Skipton and Ripon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | aye |
aye |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Parmjit Dhanda | Gloucester | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jonathan Djanogly | Huntingdon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Clive Efford | Eltham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Fabricant | Lichfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Fallon | Sevenoaks | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
Caroline Flint | Don Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Francois | Rayleigh | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Christopher Fraser | South West Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Roger Gale | North Thanet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Gauke | South West Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem | absent |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Linda Gilroy | Plymouth, Sutton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | aye |
absent |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Goodwill | Scarborough and Whitby | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
John Grogan | Selby | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
William Hague | Richmond (Yorks) | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Mark Harper | Forest of Dean | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Charles Hendry | Wealden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Hepburn | Jarrow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Mark Hoban | Fareham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sharon Hodgson | Gateshead East and Washington West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab | aye |
aye |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con (front bench) | 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) | aye |
aye |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gerald Howarth | Aldershot | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Hutton | Barrow and Furness | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Stewart Jackson | Peterborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Jones | Clwyd West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alan Keen | Feltham and Heston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Knight | South Dorset | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Eleanor Laing | Epping Forest | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Loughton | East Worthing and Shoreham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
David Maclean | Penrith and The Border | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Fiona Mactaggart | Slough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Steve McCabe | Birmingham, Hall Green | 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 |
John McFall | West Dunbartonshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Patrick Mercer | Newark | Con | absent |
aye |
Alan Milburn | Darlington | Lab | absent |
no |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anne Milton | Guildford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Brooks Newmark | Braintree | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
George Osborne | Tatton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Albert Owen | Ynys Môn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
James Paice | South East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
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 |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab | aye |
absent |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Purnell | Stalybridge and Hyde | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Randall | Uxbridge | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
John Redwood | Wokingham | Con | absent |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab | aye |
absent |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Rifkind | Kensington and Chelsea | Con | absent |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Hugh Robertson | Faversham and Mid Kent | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoffrey Robinson | Coventry North West | Lab | absent |
no |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
tellaye |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Chris Ruane | Vale of Clwyd | Lab | absent |
no |
Joan Ryan | Enfield North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mohammad Sarwar | Glasgow Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Grant Shapps | Welwyn Hatfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
no |
Siôn Simon | Birmingham, Erdington | Lab | absent |
no |
Keith Simpson | Mid Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Slaughter | Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nicholas Soames | Mid Sussex | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Spellar | Warley | Lab | absent |
no |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Phyllis Starkey | Milton Keynes South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab | absent |
no |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gary Streeter | South West Devon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gerry Sutcliffe | Bradford South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Dari Taylor | Stockton South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | absent |
both |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | absent |
aye |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Tredinnick | Bosworth | Con | absent |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Peter Viggers | Gosport | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Theresa Villiers | Chipping Barnet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ben Wallace | Lancaster and Wyre | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Joan Walley | Stoke-on-Trent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Lab | aye |
absent |
Nigel Waterson | Eastbourne | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tom Watson | West Bromwich East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem | absent |
aye |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bill Wiggin | Leominster | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Williams | Swansea West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab | absent |
no |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Wright | Rugby and Kenilworth | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
George Young | North West Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
The measure of similarity between these two divisions is a calculation
based on a comparison of their votes.
There were
644 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 20 voted the same way, with 308 voting in opposite ways.
There were 66 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 250 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])
=
308
(308 + 20 + 0.2x250)
=
308
378
=
0.815
=
81.5 %.