Comparison of Divisions: Income Tax — Abolition of 10% starting rate — 18 Mar 2008 at 21:41 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted to delete all references to the "starting rate" of taxation[1] in the Income Tax Act 2007.[2] This left only the "basic rate", whose limit was moved from £33,300[3] to £36,000 and the "higher rate" of income tax.
This change in taxation was mentioned in the April 2007 budget,[4] but questions about its consequences went unanswered.[5]
Two months after the April 2007 budget, a law which would have required the Government to produce an assessment of how any change in personal taxation would affect the different income groups was voted down by a majority of MPs.[6]
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) |
Mark Tami | Alyn and Deeside | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alex Salmond | Banff and Buchan | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | aye |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jacqui Lait | Beckenham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Liam Byrne | Birmingham, Hodge Hill | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | 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) | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | aye |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Nick Gibb | Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Dawn Butler | Brent South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ann Keen | Brentford and Isleworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Kerry McCarthy | Bristol East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Doug Naysmith | Bristol North West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Tony Wright | Cannock Chase | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent Conservative (front bench) | no |
absent |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | aye |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gwyneth Dunwoody | Crewe and Nantwich | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jim Murphy | East Renfrewshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stephen O'Brien | Eddisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
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) | aye |
aye |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (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 |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con | no |
absent |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | aye |
aye |
Stephen Hepburn | Jarrow | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | 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 |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Gillian Merron | Lincoln | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab | absent |
no |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | aye |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | aye |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
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 |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | no |
absent |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | absent |
no |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | aye |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | 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 | aye |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
absent |
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 |
Robert Syms | Poole | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jacqui Smith | Redditch | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | no |
absent |
Kevin Barron | Rother Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
Hazel Blears | Salford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside | Lab | absent |
no |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Todd | South Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eddie McGrady | South Down | SDLP | aye |
absent |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Christopher Fraser | South West Norfolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sir David Amess | Southend West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
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 |
Iris Robinson | Strangford | DUP | no |
absent |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Michael Gove | Surrey Heath | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Lammy | Tottenham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Claire Ward | Watford | Lab (minister) | absent |
tellno |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Goggins | Wythenshawe and Sale East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 25 voted the same way, with 426 voting in opposite ways.
There were 36 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 159 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])
=
426
(426 + 25 + 0.2x159)
=
426
482.8
=
0.882
=
88.2 %.