Comparison of Divisions: Post Office Closures — Commends the Government's action — 19 Mar 2008 at 18:45 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted in favour of the motion:[1]
-
This House
-
recognises the vital social and economic role of post offices, in particular in rural and deprived urban communities;
-
notes the decline in post office customer numbers in recent years and the financial losses of £174 million incurred by the network in 2007;
-
further recognises the effect of changes such as direct debit facilities and increased use of the internet for payment and communication;
-
commends the Government's action to support the post office network with investment of up to £1.7 billion up until 2011, including an annual subsidy of £150 million;
-
further notes that this subsidy did not exist under the last government and that without it thousands more post offices would be under threat; and
-
urges the Government to continue working with Post Office Limited to ensure a viable and sustainable network for the future.
This followed a previous vote rejecting a motion to suspend the closure programme during consultation.[2]
The debate is bisected by the announcement of a deferred division,[3] making it inconvenient to access on a single page.
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) |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab | aye |
absent |
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 |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | 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 | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
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 |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
Joe Benton | Bootle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Kerry McCarthy | Bristol East | 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 |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Eric Martlew | Carlisle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
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 |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab | absent |
no |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jim Murphy | East Renfrewshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | absent |
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 |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Peter Lilley | Hitchin and Harpenden | Con | absent |
aye |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Don Touhig | Islwyn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab | aye |
absent |
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 |
Peter Soulsby | Leicester South | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Gillian Merron | Lincoln | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Connarty | Linlithgow and East Falkirk | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab | absent |
no |
Graham Stringer | Manchester, Blackley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
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 |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sally Keeble | Northampton North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | 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 |
Gordon Prentice | Pendle | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
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 |
James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | no |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | no |
absent |
John Grogan | Selby | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Michael Fallon | Sevenoaks | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside | Lab | absent |
no |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Curry | Skipton and Ripon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Todd | South Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gary Streeter | South West Devon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sir David Amess | Southend West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Dari Taylor | Stockton South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | absent |
aye |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Drew | Stroud | Lab (minister) | no |
no |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | aye |
absent |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
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 |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Albert Owen | Ynys Môn | 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 17 voted the same way, with 440 voting in opposite ways.
There were 47 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 142 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])
=
440
(440 + 17 + 0.2x142)
=
440
485.4
=
0.906
=
90.6 %.