Comparison of Divisions: Opposition Day — [7th Allotted Day] — Unemployment — 10 Mar 2009 at 18:48 with Division No. 104 on 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49
(Swap the two divisions around).
I beg to move,
That this House notes that unemployment rose by 146,000 to 1.97 million in the three months to December 2008, the highest level since August 1997, that the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in January 2009 rose by 73,800 to 1.23 million, and that the number of vacancies in the UK fell by 76,000 in the three months to January 2009 to 504,000, the lowest figure since records began; further notes that unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds was 616,000 in the three months to November, the highest total since 1995; further notes that the Government has failed to establish a national loan guarantee scheme to increase the flow of credit to businesses, and calls on the Government to establish such a scheme; further notes that the Government failed to introduce necessary welfare reform during the years of economic growth; further calls on the Government to relax the rules on jobseeker's allowance to allow unemployed people rapidly to take up training opportunities; believes that the Government should immediately cut taxes for firms taking on new employees who have been unemployed for three months; notes with concern the failure of the procurement process for Flexible New Deal, and further calls on the Government not to backtrack on the use of the private and voluntary sectors in welfare-to-work provisions; and calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to expand the use of an 'invest to save' approach to welfare-to-work services, allowing the full potential of the expertise in these sectors to be realised.
I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from "House" to the end of the Question and add:
"notes that unemployment is rising in Britain and across the world; believes that unemployment is never a price worth paying and that as unemployment rises the amount of support that is offered should be increased; further notes that the Government is investing nearly £2 billion extra into giving additional assistance for the unemployed and that this will provide additional help to people losing their jobs, including a national rapid response service to react to redundancy situations, advice from day one of unemployment on skills and finding a job, assistance to pay mortgage bills to prevent people losing both their jobs and their homes, cash incentives for employers to recruit and train unemployed people, more training opportunities to help people back to work and more places on the New Deal employment programme; believes that it is preferable to invest millions into helping people now than to spend billions of pounds of public money on benefits in the future; further notes that in previous recessions the numbers on inactive benefits were allowed to increase dramatically; further believes that the mistakes of previous recessions must be avoided by investing now to prevent people becoming long-term unemployed today; and further believes that the Government should increase the support offered to people trapped on benefits by previous recessions."
The House having divided: Ayes 161, Noes 349.
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 |
Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Douglas Alexander | Paisley and Renfrewshire South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Janet Anderson | Rossendale and Darwen | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hilary Armstrong | North West Durham | Lab | absent |
no |
Charlotte Atkins | Staffordshire Moorlands | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Barrett | Edinburgh West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Stuart Bell | Middlesbrough | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Joe Benton | Bootle | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Blizzard | Waveney | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Colin Breed | South East Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Gordon Brown | Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | no |
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 | no |
absent |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alistair Burt | North East Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | no |
absent |
Liam Byrne | Birmingham, Hodge Hill | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Cairns | Inverclyde | Lab | absent |
no |
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) | no |
aye |
Ronnie Campbell | Blyth Valley | Lab | no |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Chaytor | Bury North | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Christopher Chope | Christchurch | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paul Clark | Gillingham | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | Lab | no |
aye |
Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | no |
absent |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | no |
aye |
Philip Davies | Shipley | Con | absent |
aye |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con | aye |
absent |
Parmjit Dhanda | Gloucester | Lab | absent |
no |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Jeffrey M. Donaldson | Lagan Valley | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Iain Duncan Smith | Chingford and Woodford Green | Con | absent |
aye |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Fallon | Sevenoaks | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | no |
aye |
Caroline Flint | Don Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Barbara Follett | Stevenage | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Michael Foster | Worcester | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Roger Gale | North Thanet | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab | absent |
no |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | no |
absent |
Paul Goggins | Wythenshawe and Sale East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julia Goldsworthy | Falmouth and Camborne | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab | absent |
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 |
Evan Harris | Oxford West and Abingdon | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Healey | Wentworth | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Sylvia Hermon | North Down | UUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Mark Hoban | Fareham | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Philip Hollobone | Kettering | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Paul Holmes | Chesterfield | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Michael Howard | Folkestone and Hythe | Con | absent |
aye |
David Howarth | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Gerald Howarth | Aldershot | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Simon Hughes | North Southwark and Bermondsey | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Christopher Huhne | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Jeremy Hunt | South West Surrey | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Hutton | Barrow and Furness | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Eric Joyce | Falkirk | Lab | absent |
no |
Ruth Kelly | Bolton West | Lab | absent |
no |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | no |
absent |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | no |
absent |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Susan Kramer | Richmond Park | LDem | no |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab | no |
absent |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mark Lancaster | North East Milton Keynes | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Laws | Yeovil | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | no |
absent |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Angus MacNeil | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | SNP (front bench) | no |
absent |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | 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 |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | no |
aye |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | no |
aye |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP (front bench) | no |
aye |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Martin McDonnell | Hayes and Harlington | Lab | no |
aye |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab | no |
absent |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | no |
absent |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab | no |
absent |
Patrick Mercer | Newark | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Gillian Merron | Lincoln | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Jessica Morden | Newport East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Chris Mullin | Sunderland South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Richard Ottaway | Croydon South | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
James Paice | South East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Prescott | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab | no |
absent |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Randall | Uxbridge | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | no |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Alan Reid | Argyll and Bute | LDem (front bench) | no |
tellaye |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Robertson | Glasgow North West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Laurence Robertson | Tewkesbury | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Peter Robinson | Belfast East | DUP | absent |
aye |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
tellaye |
Paul Rowen | Rochdale | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
David Ruffley | Bury St Edmunds | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | no |
aye |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
aye |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab | no |
absent |
Peter Soulsby | Leicester South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Helen Southworth | Warrington South | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | no |
aye |
Richard Spring | West Suffolk | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ian Stewart | Eccles | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | absent |
aye |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | no |
aye |
Sarah Teather | Brent East | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | no |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | no |
aye |
Lynda Waltho | Stourbridge | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | no |
aye |
Tom Watson | West Bromwich East | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Steve Webb | Northavon | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | no |
aye |
John Whittingdale | Maldon and East Chelmsford | Con (front bench) | absent |
aye |
Ann Widdecombe | Maidstone and The Weald | Con | absent |
aye |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
absent |
Stephen Williams | Bristol West | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Phil Willis | Harrogate and Knaresborough | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Jennifer Willott | Cardiff Central | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
Michael Wills | North Swindon | Lab (minister) | absent |
no |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | no |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | absent |
aye |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Richard Younger-Ross | Teignbridge | LDem (front bench) | no |
aye |
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 356 voted the same way, with 77 voting in opposite ways.
There were 50 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 163 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])
=
356
(356 + 77 + 0.2x163)
=
356
465.6
=
0.765
=
76.5 %.