Comparison of Divisions: Cost of Living — Supports the Government — 9 Jul 2008 at 16:20 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
The majority of MPs voted to accept the motion, which read:[1]
-
This House
-
notes that the Governor of the Bank of England's letter of 16th June 2008 to the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that 1.1 per cent. of the 1.2 per cent. increase in recent months in inflation was due to global energy and food prices;
-
further notes the Government's global leadership and supports the Government's action to tackle price rises with action on an international level, including pushing for a successful conclusion to the Doha round of negotiations in the World Trade Organisation and examining the impact of biofuels on food production;
-
acknowledges the significant increases in world prices, with the oil price rising by 80 per cent. and food prices up by 60 per cent. in the 12 months to May 2008;
-
recognises that these increases in global prices affect every country and put real pressure on family budgets throughout the UK;
-
further acknowledges that the measures that the Government has taken and will continue to take to support families, individuals and businesses throughout the UK include extra tax credits, increased tax allowances, further winter fuel payments and increases in child benefit;
-
considers that a strong and stable economy delivers the most important support for working families; and
-
supports the Government's actions that have delivered unemployment, inflation and interest rates all at historically low levels.
This followed the rejection of a previous motion.[2]
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) |
Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Graham Brady | Altrincham and Sale West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Tony Baldry | Banbury | Con | absent |
aye |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John Hutton | Barrow and Furness | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gregory Barker | Bexhill and Battle | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | 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 |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Crausby | Bolton North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Andrew MacKay | Bracknell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Dawn Primarolo | Bristol South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Charles Walker | Broxbourne | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris McCafferty | Calder Valley | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nick Ainger | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst UKIP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Dorrell | Charnwood | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Field | Cities of London and Westminster | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab | aye |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Jones | Clwyd West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Betty Williams | Conwy | Lab | aye |
absent |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | Cotswold | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Austin | Dudley North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Hugo Swire | East Devon | Con | absent |
aye |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (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 |
Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nigel Waterson | Eastbourne | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Andrew Love | Edmonton | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Austin | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mark Hoban | Fareham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Rudi Vis | Finchley and Golders Green | Lab | aye |
absent |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP | absent |
aye |
Ann McKechin | Glasgow North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Ian Davidson | Glasgow South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
no |
Peter Viggers | Gosport | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | 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 |
Greg Hands | Hammersmith and Fulham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Edward Garnier | Harborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gareth Thomas | Harrow West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jonathan Djanogly | Huntingdon | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | aye |
aye |
Des Browne | Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
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 |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con | absent |
aye |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | aye |
absent |
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 |
Dai Havard | Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Nadine Dorries | Mid Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Paul Beresford | Mole Valley | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Davies | Monmouth | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Frank Roy | Motherwell and Wishaw | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Patrick Mercer | Newark | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Paul Flynn | Newport West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kevan Jones | North Durham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
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) | no |
absent |
Bernard Jenkin | North Essex | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | aye |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | absent |
both |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Huw Irranca-Davies | Ogmore | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
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 |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stewart Jackson | Peterborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Hancock | Portsmouth South | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con (front bench) | 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 |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
absent |
Philip Hammond | Runnymede and Weybridge | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alan Duncan | Rutland and Melton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Robert Goodwill | Scarborough and Whitby | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | aye |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Philip Davies | Shipley | Con | absent |
aye |
Andrew Lansley | South Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Todd | South Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jim Knight | South Dorset | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Borrow | South Ribble | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Gauke | South West Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Wilshire | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Barbara Follett | Stevenage | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
aye |
Bill Cash | Stone | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Keith Hill | Streatham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Drew | Stroud | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bill Etherington | Sunderland North | Lab | aye |
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) | aye |
absent |
George Osborne | Tatton | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Anthony Steen | Totnes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | tellno |
absent |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Helen Southworth | Warrington South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
absent |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
John McFall | West Dunbartonshire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Lyn Brown | West Ham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Rosie Cooper | West Lancashire | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | aye |
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 |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Richard Taylor | Wyre Forest | Independent (front bench) | aye |
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 23 voted the same way, with 387 voting in opposite ways.
There were 49 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 185 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])
=
387
(387 + 23 + 0.2x185)
=
387
447
=
0.866
=
86.6 %.