Comparison of Divisions: Food Security — Commends the Government's role — 30 Jun 2008 at 21:49 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted against the motion, which read:[1]
-
This House
-
notes with concern current food shortages which are believed to have pushed 100 million people into hunger worldwide;
-
recognises that rising food prices are putting household budgets under increasing strain;
-
believes that with rising global demand and pressure on supply it is both a practical and moral imperative that Great Britain retains the capacity to produce a significant proportion of its own food;
-
notes that UK self-sufficiency in food has declined considerably over the last decade;
-
regrets the Government's failure to accept that domestic production is a necessary condition for food security; and
-
urges the Government to relieve pressure on world markets and ensure the security of domestic food supply by enabling British farmers to optimise food production while preserving the natural environment.
In its place an alternative motion was presented:[2]
-
This House
-
notes with concern current food shortages which are believed to have pushed 100 million people into hunger worldwide;
-
acknowledges the steps taken by the Prime Minister to encourage coordinated international action to address global food security;
-
welcomes the additional UK contribution to the World Food Programme;
-
recognises that rising food prices as a result of global pressures are affecting household food budgets;
-
believes that with rising global demand Great Britain needs a strong farming industry able to produce a significant proportion of UK food;
-
notes that UK self sufficiency stands at 74 per cent. for food which can be grown in the UK, which is higher than in the early 1950s; and
-
commends the Government's role in helping to develop a domestic farming sector that produces what consumers want in a way that preserves natural resources and enhances the valuable environmental benefits that it provides to society.
which passed without a further vote.
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) |
John Reid | Airdrie and Shotts | Lab | no |
absent |
Gerald Howarth | Aldershot | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Maria Miller | Basingstoke | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
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 |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | no |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | no |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | absent |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Ruth Kelly | Bolton West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Gerry Sutcliffe | Bradford South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Liddell-Grainger | Bridgwater | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tony Wright | Cannock Chase | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Ainger | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst UKIP (front bench) | both |
absent |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Theresa Villiers | Chipping Barnet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Field | Cities of London and Westminster | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | no |
aye |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | no |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Phil Hope | Corby | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | absent |
aye |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Howard Stoate | Dartford | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Hugo Swire | East Devon | Con | absent |
aye |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab | absent |
no |
Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jim Murphy | East Renfrewshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew Miller | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | no |
absent |
Clive Efford | Eltham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | no |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Greg Hands | Hammersmith and Fulham | Con (front bench) | 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) | absent |
aye |
David Willetts | Havant | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | absent |
aye |
Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Dismore | Hendon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Mark Prisk | Hertford and Stortford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jonathan Djanogly | Huntingdon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Emily Thornberry | Islington South and Finsbury | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Malcolm Rifkind | Kensington and Chelsea | Con | absent |
aye |
Philip Hollobone | Kettering | Con (front bench) | absent |
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 |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
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 |
Theresa May | Maidenhead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con | absent |
aye |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | absent |
aye |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stuart Bell | Middlesbrough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julian Lewis | New Forest East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | no |
absent |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | aye |
absent |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | absent |
no |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Roger Gale | North Thanet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Hilary Armstrong | North West Durham | Lab | absent |
no |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Sally Keeble | Northampton North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab | no |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | absent |
aye |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
Douglas Alexander | Paisley and Renfrewshire South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Stephen Crabb | Preseli Pembrokeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Hendrick | Preston | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | no |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Vera Baird | Redcar | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | aye |
absent |
William Hague | Richmond (Yorks) | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Kevin Barron | Rother Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | aye |
absent |
Elliot Morley | Scunthorpe | Lab | absent |
no |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | no |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Meg Munn | Sheffield, Heeley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Lansley | South Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jeremy Hunt | South West Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Charlotte Atkins | Staffordshire Moorlands | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Barbara Follett | Stevenage | 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 |
Bill Cash | Stone | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Gummer | Suffolk Coastal | Con | absent |
aye |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | no |
absent |
Michael Gove | Surrey Heath | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
George Osborne | Tatton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Laurence Robertson | Tewkesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | absent |
aye |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | 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 |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Simon Burns | West Chelmsford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Patrick McLoughlin | West Derbyshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Oliver Letwin | West Dorset | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lyn Brown | West Ham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Cameron | Witney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Barbara Keeley | Worsley | 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
644 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions,
and 367 voted the same way, with 18 voting in opposite ways.
There were 51 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 208 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])
=
367
(367 + 18 + 0.2x208)
=
367
426.6
=
0.860
=
86.0 %.