Comparison of Divisions: Planning Bill — Secretary of State to have final say — rejected — 25 Jun 2008 at 16:45 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted against inserting a new clause near the start of the Planning Bill[1] which said:[2]
-
Decisions taken by the Commission as part of any function conferred on it shall be subject to confirmation [within six months] by the Secretary of State.
The purpose of this amendment was to ensure that ministers "cannot duck having the final say" and would reinstate an element of democratic accountability, so to speak.[3]
Without this clause, the intent of the Planning Bill is that the final say would be by an appointed Planning Commission within the brief of a National Policy Statement.
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 |
Nick Ainger | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Janet Anderson | Rossendale and Darwen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
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 |
Hugh Bayley | City of York | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
David Borrow | South Ribble | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Julian Brazier | Canterbury | Con (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 | aye |
absent |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | no |
absent |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Menzies Campbell | North East Fife | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | aye |
no |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab | no |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jim Cousins | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
no |
David Crausby | Bolton North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Frank Dobson | Holborn and St Pancras | Lab | absent |
no |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Drew | Stroud | Lab (minister) | aye |
no |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | absent |
no |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | aye |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Roger Gale | North Thanet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Grogan | Selby | Lab (minister) | aye |
no |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Philip Hammond | Runnymede and Weybridge | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dai Havard | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (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 |
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 |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (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 |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | no |
aye |
Bernard Jenkin | North Essex | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kevan Jones | North Durham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
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 |
Stephen Ladyman | South Thanet | Lab | absent |
no |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Lidington | Aylesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | no |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | no |
absent |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | no |
aye |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Ian McCartney | Makerfield | Lab | absent |
no |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | no |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
absent |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Elliot Morley | Scunthorpe | Lab | absent |
no |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Edward O'Hara | Knowsley South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | 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 |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gordon Prentice | Pendle | Lab (minister) | aye |
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 |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
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 |
Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Clare Short | Birmingham, Ladywood | whilst Independent Labour | aye |
absent |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst UKIP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Graham Stringer | Manchester, Blackley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gerry Sutcliffe | Bradford South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | aye |
both |
Desmond Turner | Brighton, Kemptown | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Theresa Villiers | Chipping Barnet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | aye |
absent |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | no |
absent |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
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
644 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 451 voted the same way, with 24 voting in opposite ways.
There were 40 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 129 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])
=
451
(451 + 24 + 0.2x129)
=
451
500.8
=
0.901
=
90.1 %.