Comparison of Divisions: Opposition Day — [6th allotted day] — National Insurance Numbers and Illegal Immigrants — 16 Jan 2008 at 15:25 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
I beg to move,
That this House expresses its very great concern that National Insurance numbers appear to have been issued to illegal immigrants.
I beg to move, To leave out from 'House' to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:
"welcomes the new checks and controls the Government has introduced to reduce illegal working by foreign nationals, which include measures to prevent illegal immigrants being issued with national insurance numbers."
Question put, That the original words stand part of the Question:-
The House divided: Ayes 242, Noes 310.
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 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 | no |
aye |
Bob Ainsworth | Coventry North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Anderson | Blaydon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Janet Anderson | Rossendale and Darwen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Austin | Dudley North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | no |
absent |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | no |
absent |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | no |
absent |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Ben Chapman | Wirral South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paul Clark | Gillingham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab | no |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | no |
absent |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | no |
aye |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | absent |
no |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gwyneth Dunwoody | Crewe and Nantwich | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Christopher Fraser | South West Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | no |
absent |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | aye |
absent |
Nigel Griffiths | Edinburgh South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Grogan | Selby | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Harriet Harman | Camberwell and Peckham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | no |
absent |
Stephen Hepburn | Jarrow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Hoban | Fareham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Douglas Hogg | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab | absent |
no |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con | aye |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Sally Keeble | Northampton North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ruth Kelly | Bolton West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | no |
absent |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Lepper | Brighton, Pavilion | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Julian Lewis | New Forest East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | no |
absent |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | no |
absent |
Anne Main | St Albans | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
David Marshall | Glasgow East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | no |
aye |
Jim McGovern | Dundee West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eddie McGrady | South Down | SDLP | no |
absent |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | no |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | no |
absent |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Gillian Merron | Lincoln | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Maria Miller | Basingstoke | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Chris Mole | Ipswich | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Dan Norris | Wansdyke | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab | no |
absent |
Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Purnell | Stalybridge and Hyde | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab | no |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mohammad Sarwar | Glasgow Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jonathan R Shaw | Chatham and Aylesford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | no |
aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jacqui Smith | Redditch | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Helen Southworth | Warrington South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Howard Stoate | Dartford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
Ian Taylor | Esher and Walton | Con | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | no |
aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | no |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | aye |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | no |
aye |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | no |
absent |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | no |
aye |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
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 423 voted the same way, with 25 voting in opposite ways.
There were 27 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 171 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])
=
423
(423 + 25 + 0.2x171)
=
423
482.2
=
0.877
=
87.7 %.