Comparison of Divisions: Gurkha Settlement Rights — Government defeat — 29 Apr 2009 at 15:49 with Division No. 15 on 21 Jun 2005 at 21:59
(Swap the two divisions around).
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]
This division was on the principle of the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. The question was:
That the Bill be now read a Second time.
Those voting Aye were declaring their support for the principle of the Bill, while those voting No were opposed to it in principle.
Public Whip is run as a free not-for-profit service. If you'd like to support us, please
consider switching your (UK) electricity and/or gas to
Octopus Energy or
tip us via Ko-Fi.
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) |
Michael Ancram | Devizes | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Patrick Cormack | South Staffordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Liam Fox | Woodspring | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Gerald Howarth | Aldershot | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Howell | Henley | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Robert Key | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Hugh Robertson | Faversham and Mid Kent | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Peter Viggers | Gosport | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Tim Boswell | Daventry | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
John Butterfill | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
James Clappison | Hertsmere | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Kenneth Clarke | Rushcliffe | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Derek Conway | Old Bexley and Sidcup | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con | absent |
no |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con | absent |
no |
Eric Forth | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con | absent |
no |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
John Greenway | Ryedale | Con | absent |
no |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
David Heathcoat-Amory | Wells | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
John Horam | Orpington | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Michael Jack | Fylde | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Boris Johnson | Henley | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Julie Kirkbride | Bromsgrove | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Humfrey Malins | Woking | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
John Maples | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Michael Mates | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Malcolm Moss | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
John Stanley | Tonbridge and Malling | Con (front bench) | absent |
no |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Ian Paisley | North Antrim | DUP | absent |
no |
Iris Robinson | Strangford | DUP (front bench) | absent |
no |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | absent |
no |
Dai Davies | Blaenau Gwent | Independent | aye |
absent |
Andrew Pelling | Croydon Central | whilst Independent (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Spink | Castle Point | whilst Independent (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Robert Wareing | Liverpool, West Derby | whilst Independent | aye |
absent |
Diane Abbott | Hackney North and Stoke Newington | Lab | aye |
aye |
Ian Cawsey | Brigg and Goole | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Harry Cohen | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Neil Gerrard | Walthamstow | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Joan Humble | Blackpool North and Fleetwood | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Glenda Jackson | Hampstead and Highgate | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andrew MacKinlay | Thurrock | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab | aye |
aye |
Shona McIsaac | Cleethorpes | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Julie Morgan | Cardiff North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Nick Palmer | Broxtowe | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab | aye |
aye |
Andy Reed | Loughborough | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
aye |
Paul Truswell | Pudsey | Lab | aye |
aye |
Keith Vaz | Leicester East | Lab (minister) | aye |
aye |
Mike Wood | Batley and Spen | Lab | aye |
aye |
Mark Fisher | Stoke-on-Trent Central | Lab | aye |
absent |
Kate Hoey | Vauxhall | Lab (minister) | aye |
absent |
Robert Marshall-Andrews | Medway | Lab | aye |
absent |
Alan Simpson | Nottingham South | Lab | aye |
absent |
Colin Challen | Morley and Rothwell | Lab (minister) | no |
both |
Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab | no |
absent |
Bob Blizzard | Waveney | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ben Chapman | Wirral South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Clelland | Tyne Bridge | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ann Clwyd | Cynon Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Yvette Cooper | Pontefract and Castleford | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Ann Cryer | Keighley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Quentin Davies | Grantham and Stamford | whilst Lab (front bench) | no |
absent |
Jim Devine | Livingston | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab | no |
absent |
Nigel Griffiths | Edinburgh South | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Peter Hain | Neath | Lab | no |
absent |
Adam Ingram | East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow | Lab | no |
absent |
Alan Johnson | Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Tessa Jowell | Dulwich and West Norwood | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Fraser Kemp | Houghton and Washington East | Lab | no |
absent |
Stephen Ladyman | South Thanet | Lab | no |
absent |
Tony Lloyd | Manchester Central | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Gordon Prentice | Pendle | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Dennis Skinner | Bolsover | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Angela Smith | Basildon | Lab | no |
absent |
Geraldine Smith | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
John Smith | Vale of Glamorgan | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Kitty Ussher | Burnley | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Lynda Waltho | Stourbridge | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab (minister) | no |
absent |
David Taylor | North West Leicestershire | Lab (minister) | both |
both |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
John Battle | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Karen Buck | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Colin Burgon | Elmet | Lab | absent |
aye |
Stephen Byers | North Tyneside | Lab | absent |
aye |
Richard Caborn | Sheffield Central | Lab | absent |
aye |
Martin Caton | Gower | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Michael Clapham | Barnsley West and Penistone | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Charles Clarke | Norwich South | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Frank Cook | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Robin Cook | Livingston | Lab | absent |
aye |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham | Lab | absent |
aye |
Claire Curtis-Thomas | Crosby | Lab | absent |
aye |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Mike Gapes | Ilford South | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Ian Gibson | Norwich North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Roger Godsiff | Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath | Lab | absent |
aye |
Mike Hall | Weaver Vale | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Patrick Hall | Bedford | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Doug Henderson | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Lab | absent |
aye |
David Heyes | Ashton-under-Lyne | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Meg Hillier | Hackney South and Shoreditch | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Margaret Hodge | Barking | Lab | absent |
aye |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Geoff Hoon | Ashfield | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Lindsay Hoyle | Chorley | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Eric Illsley | Barnsley Central | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Siân James | Swansea East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Lynne Jones | Birmingham, Selly Oak | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Martyn Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Piara S Khabra | Ealing, Southall | Lab | absent |
aye |
Peter Kilfoyle | Liverpool, Walton | Lab | absent |
aye |
Ashok Kumar | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab | absent |
aye |
Ivan Lewis | Bury South | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Martin Linton | Battersea | Lab | absent |
aye |
John MacDougall | Glenrothes | Lab | absent |
aye |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | absent |
aye |
Khalid Mahmood | Birmingham, Perry Barr | Lab | absent |
aye |
Judy Mallaber | Amber Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
John Mann | Bassetlaw | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab | absent |
aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | absent |
aye |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Ed Miliband | Doncaster North | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Anne Moffat | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Kali Mountford | Colne Valley | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Sandra Osborne | Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Greg Pope | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bridget Prentice | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Bill Rammell | Harlow | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Jamie Reed | Copeland | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Martin Salter | Reading West | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Clare Short | Birmingham, Ladywood | whilst Lab | absent |
aye |
Marsha Singh | Bradford West | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Anne Snelgrove | South Swindon | Lab | absent |
aye |
Gavin Strang | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Paddy Tipping | Sherwood | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Neil Turner | Wigan | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Anthony D Wright | Great Yarmouth | Lab (minister) | absent |
aye |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Willie Rennie | Dunfermline and West Fife | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Matthew Taylor | Truro and St Austell | LDem | aye |
absent |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Sandra Gidley | Romsey | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Paul Keetch | Hereford | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Charles Kennedy | Ross, Skye and Lochaber | LDem | absent |
no |
Mark Oaten | Winchester | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Lembit Öpik | Montgomeryshire | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | absent |
no |
Elfyn Llwyd | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | PC (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Adam Price | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Hywel Williams | Caernarfon | PC (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | SDLP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
John Mason | Glasgow East | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Angus Robertson | Moray | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | aye |
absent |
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 21 voted the same way, with 428 voting in opposite ways.
There were 35 MPs who didn't vote in either division,
and 162 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])
=
428
(428 + 21 + 0.2x162)
=
428
481.4
=
0.889
=
88.9 %.