Comparison of Divisions: Vehicle Excise Duty — planned increases should be abandoned — rejected — 14 May 2008 at 18:51 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted against the motion before Parliament, which read:[1]
-
This House
-
notes with concern the increases in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) imposed in the Budget;
-
notes that between 2006 and 2010 revenues from graduated VED will have more than doubled;
-
observes that the majority of motorists who currently pay graduated VED will now pay more;
-
deplores the Government's decision to abolish the exemption from higher graduated VED rates for cars that emit more than 186g of carbon dioxide per kilometre and were registered between March 2001 and March 2006, and the fact that this was not stated clearly at the time of the Budget;
-
considers that these changes will hit those on low incomes hardest and be a further burden on hard-working families already struggling to cope with soaring living costs;
-
further notes that, although graduated VED revenues will total £4.4 billion by 2010-11, carbon emissions from motoring are expected to reduce by less than 1% as a result of the new VED regime;
-
believes that any increases in environmental taxes should be offset by tax reductions elsewhere; and
-
calls upon the Government to abandon its planned increases in VED.
There was no alternative motion put in its place
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) |
Anne Begg | Aberdeen South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab | no |
absent |
Graham Brady | Altrincham and Sale West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Tami | Alyn and Deeside | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Alan Reid | Argyll and Bute | LDem (front bench) | absent |
tellaye |
Nick Herbert | Arundel and South Downs | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Lidington | Aylesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Maria Miller | Basingstoke | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | no |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jacqui Lait | Beckenham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Gregory Barker | Bexhill and Battle | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Baron | Billericay | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Steve McCabe | Birmingham, Hall Green | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | no |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | no |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | no |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | no |
aye |
Mark Simmonds | Boston and Skegness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Terry Rooney | Bradford North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gerry Sutcliffe | Bradford South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Ann Keen | Brentford and Isleworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Doug Naysmith | Bristol North West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
John Bercow | Buckingham | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Janet Dean | Burton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Chaytor | Bury North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Ruffley | Bury St Edmunds | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst UKIP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Brian H Donohoe | Central Ayrshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Dorrell | Charnwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Holmes | Chesterfield | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mark Field | Cities of London and Westminster | Con | absent |
aye |
Christine Russell | City of Chester | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | no |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ann Winterton | Congleton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | no |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | no |
absent |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Margaret Beckett | Derby South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Shahid Malik | Dewsbury | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gwyn Prosser | Dover | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab | absent |
no |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Murphy | East Renfrewshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Ainsworth | East Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Loughton | East Worthing and Shoreham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Stephen O'Brien | Eddisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | no |
absent |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Hugh Robertson | Faversham and Mid Kent | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Ann McKechin | Glasgow North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Davidson | Glasgow South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Anne Milton | Guildford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | no |
aye |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | no |
aye |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem | no |
aye |
Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Howell | Henley | Con | absent |
aye |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Mark Prisk | Hertford and Stortford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Tom Levitt | High Peak | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Frank Dobson | Holborn and St Pancras | Lab | absent |
no |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem | absent |
aye |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem | no |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Philip Hollobone | Kettering | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ben Wallace | Lancaster and Wyre | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Patricia Hewitt | Leicester West | Lab | absent |
no |
Andy Burnham | Leigh | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Joan Ruddock | Lewisham, Deptford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Michael Fabricant | Lichfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gillian Merron | Lincoln | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | absent |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Margaret Moran | Luton South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nicholas Winterton | Macclesfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Theresa May | Maidenhead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con | absent |
aye |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab | absent |
no |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Davies | Monmouth | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Desmond Swayne | New Forest West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Mercer | Newark | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Cousins | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
tellaye |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Burt | North East Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | absent |
no |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bernard Jenkin | North Essex | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | no |
absent |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab | no |
absent |
Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab | absent |
no |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | no |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kim Howells | Pontypridd | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Robert Syms | Poole | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | absent |
aye |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | aye |
absent |
William Hague | Richmond (Yorks) | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Janet Anderson | Rossendale and Darwen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kevin Barron | Rother Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Hurd | Ruislip - Northwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Robert Key | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Goodwill | Scarborough and Whitby | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Curry | Skipton and Ripon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jim Knight | South Dorset | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gary Streeter | South West Devon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Gauke | South West Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Main | St Albans | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Charlotte Atkins | Staffordshire Moorlands | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
James Purnell | Stalybridge and Hyde | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Rob Flello | Stoke-on-Trent South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Brian Jenkins | Tamworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Angela Browning | Tiverton and Honiton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Anthony Steen | Totnes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | no |
aye |
Greg Clark | Tunbridge Wells | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Clelland | Tyne Bridge | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Randall | Uxbridge | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Winnick | Walsall North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bruce George | Walsall South | Lab | absent |
no |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Denis Murphy | Wansbeck | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Helen Southworth | Warrington South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Claire Ward | Watford | Lab (minister) | absent |
tellno |
Peter Bone | Wellingborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tom Watson | West Bromwich East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Murrison | Westbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ken Purchase | Wolverhampton North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | 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
645 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 303 voted the same way, with 46 voting in opposite ways.
There were 70 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 226 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])
=
303
(303 + 46 + 0.2x226)
=
303
394.2
=
0.769
=
76.9 %.