Comparison of Divisions: Opposition Day — [18th Allotted Day] — Penal System — 24 Jul 2007 at 19:17 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
I beg to move,
That this House considers that the Government's management of the prison system has become a national disgrace; believes that the Government by ignoring official projections of the prison population and failing to plan for sufficient capacity has allowed jails to become overcrowded, reconviction rates to rise and the Probation Service to become overstretched; further considers that the Government's resort to releasing prisoners early, including violent offenders, without risk assessment or accommodation checks is wholly unacceptable; notes that many of those released under the scheme have previously been refused release on Home Detention Curfew and that others have already re-offended when they should have been in custody; is concerned that offenders are also being transferred early to open prisons from which they can and do abscond at any time and that over 4,000 offenders released early on electronic tags have re-offended, committing over 1,000 violent crimes; further believes that the modest additional prison capacity announced by the Government will be insufficient; and calls upon the Government to halt the End of Custody Licence scheme and take immediate steps to ensure adequate prison capacity, the proper treatment and rehabilitation of offenders, and the safety of the British public.
I beg to move, To leave out from "House" to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:
"welcomes the record of the Government which has since 1997 cut crime, reformed the penal system, invested in record prison places, created a legislative framework which provides tough and effective sentences, introduced risk assessment and offender management systems, introduced and seen ever increasing numbers of offenders complete accredited programmes, enabled record numbers of offenders to pay back to the community through unpaid work, ensured that offenders in the community who pose a risk to the public are recalled to custody, radically reformed the youth justice system and brought the prison and probation services together under the National Offender Management Service with a renewed focus on protecting the public and reducing re-offending."
Question put, That the original words stand part of the Question:-
The House divided: Ayes 156, Noes 355.
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 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) |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con | aye |
absent |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | aye |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Peter Ainsworth | East Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Crispin Blunt | Reigate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Burt | North East Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Curry | Skipton and Ripon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Dorrell | Charnwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Gove | Surrey Heath | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Hunt | South West Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Lancaster | North East Milton Keynes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julian Lewis | New Forest East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Loughton | East Worthing and Shoreham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Theresa May | Maidenhead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Milton | Guildford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Brooks Newmark | Braintree | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Ottaway | Croydon South | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Rifkind | Kensington and Chelsea | Con | absent |
aye |
Hugh Robertson | Faversham and Mid Kent | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Grant Shapps | Welwyn Hatfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Simmonds | Boston and Skegness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Tapsell | Louth and Horncastle | Con | absent |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con | absent |
aye |
Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Charles Walker | Broxbourne | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ben Wallace | Lancaster and Wyre | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Paisley | North Antrim | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | no |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | no |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab | no |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | no |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | no |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | no |
aye |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | no |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | no |
aye |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | no |
absent |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | no |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gwyneth Dunwoody | Crewe and Nantwich | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | no |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | no |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | no |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | no |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | no |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab | no |
absent |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab | no |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Lab | no |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | no |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab | absent |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Janet Anderson | Rossendale and Darwen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Connarty | Linlithgow and East Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Rosie Cooper | West Lancashire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Grogan | Selby | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Sharon Hodgson | Gateshead East and Washington West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kim Howells | Pontypridd | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Joyce | Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gerald Kaufman | Manchester, Gorton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Lepper | Brighton, Pavilion | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tom Levitt | High Peak | Lab | absent |
no |
Tony Lloyd | Manchester Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Milburn | Darlington | Lab | absent |
no |
Gordon Prentice | Pendle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Geoffrey Robinson | Coventry North West | Lab | absent |
no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Mohammad Sarwar | Glasgow Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Barry Sheerman | Huddersfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab | absent |
no |
Emily Thornberry | Islington South and Finsbury | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Claire Ward | Watford | Lab (minister) | absent |
tellno |
Alan Williams | Swansea West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Phil Woolas | Oldham East and Saddleworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem | no |
aye |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Alan Reid | Argyll and Bute | LDem (front bench) | no |
tellaye |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
tellaye |
Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem | no |
aye |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | no |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Holmes | Chesterfield | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | absent |
aye |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mark Durkan | Foyle | SDLP (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (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 356 voted the same way, with 72 voting in opposite ways.
There were 48 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 170 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 the same way.
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])
=
356
(356 + 72 + 0.2x170)
=
356
462
=
0.771
=
77.1 %.