The majority of MPs voted for members of the House of Commons Backbench Business Committee to be elected by members of political parties rather than, as was the case previously, by the whole House of Commons.
MPs were considering a motion[1] on the arrangements for operation of the Backbench Business Committee, including membership of the committee and the election of chair.
The committee is responsible for allocating certain periods of parliamentary time for "backbench business"; MPs can apply to it if they wish to get see particular motion debated in the House of Commons or in Westminster Hall.
The first paragraph of the motion stated:
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(1) this House endorses the principle that parties should elect members of the Backbench Business Committee each Session and thereafter when a vacancy arises in a secret ballot of all Members of that party by whichever transparent and democratic method they choose.
The amendment rejected in this vote was:
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Amendment (d), leave out paragraph (1).
MP Peter Bone explained the intent of his amendment during the debate saying[2]:
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The Government are proposing that future members of the Committee will be elected by party group. There are two distinct disadvantages to that proposal. The first—I suggest that this is the reason for it—is that it will give the Government, as well as the shadow Government, greater influence in deciding who is elected to the Backbench Business Committee. Through their Whips Offices, they will try to engineer more pliable Members to be elected to the Committee. I believe that this will make the Committee much more divided on party lines. In all the time that the current Committee has met, there has been only one vote, and that did not divide it along party lines. The Government’s proposal will reduce the likelihood that independent parliamentarians will be elected to the Committee.
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Secondly, the authority that members of the Committee hold is greatly enhanced by their being chosen by the whole House. Their mandate comes from Back Benchers of all political persuasions, not by a narrow party group.
The Backbench Business committee was previously elected by the whole house subject to constraints[3] that:
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(i)such a number of candidates shall come from each party represented in the House or those of no party as shall be determined and announced in advance by the Speaker, in such a way as to ensure that the committee including the Chair reflects as closely as possible the composition of the House, and
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(ii)at least two women and two men shall be elected.
==
Debate in Parliament | Source |
MPs
for which their vote in this division differed
from the majority vote of their party are marked in red.
Also shows which MPs
were ministers at the time of this vote.
You can also see every eligible MP
including those who did not vote in this division.
| Name | Constituency | Party | Vote |
| Nigel Adams | Selby and Ainsty | Con | no |
| Peter Aldous | Waveney | Con (front bench) | no |
| Danny Alexander | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Rushanara Ali | Bethnal Green and Bow | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab (minister) | no |
| David Anderson | Blaydon | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Stuart Andrew | Pudsey | Con (front bench) | no |
| James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Steve Barclay | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| John Baron | Basildon and Billericay | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Kevin Barron | Rother Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Gavin Barwell | Croydon Central | Con (front bench) | no |
| Guto Bebb | Aberconwy | Con (front bench) | no |
| Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Henry Bellingham | North West Norfolk | Con (front bench) | no |
| Luciana Berger | Liverpool, Wavertree | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Jake Berry | Rossendale and Darwen | Con | no |
| Andrew Bingham | High Peak | Con (front bench) | no |
| Brian Binley | Northampton South | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Gordon Birtwistle | Burnley | LDem | no |
| Bob Blackman | Harrow East | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough | Lab | aye |
| Nicholas Boles | Grantham and Stamford | Con | no |
| Peter Bone | Wellingborough | Con (front bench) | tellaye |
| Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | no |
| Karen Bradley | Staffordshire Moorlands | Con (front bench) | no |
| Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Graham Brady | Altrincham and Sale West | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem | aye |
| Angie Bray | Ealing Central and Acton | Con | no |
| Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | both |
| Andrew Bridgen | North West Leicestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Fiona Bruce | Congleton | Con (front bench) | no |
| Chris Bryant | Rhondda | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Karen Buck | Westminster North | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Robert Buckland | South Swindon | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Simon Burns | Chelmsford | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con | no |
| Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Dan Byles | North Warwickshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Vincent Cable | Twickenham | LDem (front bench) | both |
| Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Neil Carmichael | Stroud | Con (front bench) | no |
| Douglas Carswell | Clacton | Con | aye |
| Bill Cash | Stone | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Rehman Chishti | Gillingham and Rainham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Greg Clark | Tunbridge Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
| Tom Clarke | Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill | Lab (minister) | no |
| Nick Clegg | Sheffield, Hallam | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Damian Collins | Folkestone and Hythe | Con (front bench) | no |
| Oliver Colvile | Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport | Con (front bench) | no |
| Rosie Cooper | West Lancashire | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Stephen Crabb | Preseli Pembrokeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| John Cryer | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab | aye |
| Jim Cunningham | Coventry South | Lab | aye |
| Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Glyn Davies | Montgomeryshire | Con | no |
| Philip Davies | Shipley | Con (front bench) | aye |
| David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con | aye |
| Jonathan Djanogly | Huntingdon | Con (front bench) | no |
| Thomas Docherty | Dunfermline and West Fife | Lab (minister) | no |
| Brian H Donohoe | Central Ayrshire | Lab | aye |
| Nadine Dorries | Mid Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
| James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con (front bench) | no |
| Iain Duncan Smith | Chingford and Woodford Green | Con (front bench) | no |
| Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | tellno |
| Angela Eagle | Wallasey | Lab (minister) | no |
| Maria Eagle | Garston and Halewood | Lab (minister) | no |
| Clive Efford | Eltham | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Michael Ellis | Northampton North | Con (front bench) | no |
| Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con | no |
| Charlie Elphicke | Dover | Con (front bench) | no |
| Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | tellaye |
| Bill Esterson | Sefton Central | Lab (minister) | no |
| Chris Evans | Islwyn | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Graham Evans | Weaver Vale | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Evennett | Bexleyheath and Crayford | Con | no |
| Michael Fabricant | Lichfield | Con (front bench) | no |
| Tim Farron | Westmorland and Lonsdale | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Mark Field | Cities of London and Westminster | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Jim Fitzpatrick | Poplar and Limehouse | Lab (minister) | no |
| Don Foster | Bath | LDem | no |
| Mark Francois | Rayleigh and Wickford | Con (front bench) | no |
| George Freeman | Mid Norfolk | Con | no |
| Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Edward Garnier | Harborough | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Gauke | South West Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Nick Gibb | Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | Con (front bench) | no |
| Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Pat Glass | North West Durham | Lab (minister) | aye |
| John Glen | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | no |
| Mary Glindon | North Tyneside | Lab (minister) | no |
| Paul Goggins | Wythenshawe and Sale East | Lab | aye |
| Zac Goldsmith | Richmond Park | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Robert Goodwill | Scarborough and Whitby | Con (front bench) | no |
| Richard Graham | Gloucester | Con | no |
| James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | no |
| Damian Green | Ashford | Con (front bench) | no |
| Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | no |
| Dominic Grieve | Beaconsfield | Con (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Griffiths | Burton | Con (front bench) | no |
| Robert Halfon | Harlow | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Duncan Hames | Chippenham | LDem | no |
| Stephen Hammond | Wimbledon | Con | no |
| Matthew Hancock | West Suffolk | Con (front bench) | no |
| Greg Hands | Chelsea and Fulham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Mark Harper | Forest of Dean | Con (front bench) | no |
| Rebecca Harris | Castle Point | Con (front bench) | no |
| Simon Hart | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Nick Harvey | North Devon | LDem (front bench) | no |
| John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (front bench) | no |
| Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | no |
| John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Nick Herbert | Arundel and South Downs | Con (front bench) | no |
| Damian Hinds | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem | aye |
| Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | aye |
| John Howell | Henley | Con | no |
| Simon Hughes | Bermondsey and Old Southwark | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | tellno |
| Julian Huppert | Cambridge | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Nick Hurd | Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner | Con (front bench) | no |
| Stewart Jackson | Peterborough | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Margot James | Stourbridge | Con (front bench) | no |
| Sajid Javid | Bromsgrove | Con | no |
| Bernard Jenkin | Harwich and North Essex | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Gareth Johnson | Dartford | Con (front bench) | no |
| Jo Johnson | Orpington | Con | no |
| Andrew Jones | Harrogate and Knaresborough | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Jones | Clwyd West | Con (front bench) | no |
| Kevan Jones | North Durham | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Daniel Kawczynski | Shrewsbury and Atcham | Con | no |
| Simon Kirby | Brighton, Kemptown | Con (front bench) | no |
| Greg Knight | East Yorkshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Eleanor Laing | Epping Forest | Con (front bench) | no |
| Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | no |
| David Lammy | Tottenham | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Mark Lancaster | Milton Keynes North | Con | no |
| Jessica Lee | Erewash | Con | no |
| Phillip Lee | Bracknell | Con (front bench) | no |
| Edward Leigh | Gainsborough | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Oliver Letwin | West Dorset | Con (front bench) | no |
| Julian Lewis | New Forest East | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Ian Liddell-Grainger | Bridgwater and West Somerset | Con (front bench) | no |
| Peter Lilley | Hitchin and Harpenden | Con | no |
| Tony Lloyd | Manchester Central | Lab | no |
| Elfyn Llwyd | Dwyfor Meirionnydd | PC (front bench) | aye |
| Jonathan Lord | Woking | Con | no |
| Tim Loughton | East Worthing and Shoreham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Mary Macleod | Brentford and Isleworth | Con | no |
| Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | aye |
| Fiona Mactaggart | Slough | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Seema Malhotra | Feltham and Heston | Lab (minister) | no |
| Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Jason McCartney | Colne Valley | Con | aye |
| Karl McCartney | Lincoln | Con | aye |
| William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | aye |
| Anne McIntosh | Thirsk and Malton | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Patrick McLoughlin | Derbyshire Dales | Con (front bench) | no |
| Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
| Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab (minister) | no |
| Andrew Miller | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Maria Miller | Basingstoke | Con (front bench) | no |
| Nigel Mills | Amber Valley | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | no |
| Austin Mitchell | Great Grimsby | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Nicky Morgan | Loughborough | Con | no |
| David Morris | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Con | no |
| Grahame Morris | Easington | Lab (minister) | aye |
| James Morris | Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Con (front bench) | no |
| Stephen Mosley | City of Chester | Con (front bench) | no |
| Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Meg Munn | Sheffield, Heeley | Lab | no |
| Tessa Munt | Wells | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Murrison | South West Wiltshire | Con | no |
| Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | no |
| Brooks Newmark | Braintree | Con (front bench) | no |
| Sarah Newton | Truro and Falmouth | Con (front bench) | no |
| David Nuttall | Bury North | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Stephen O'Brien | Eddisbury | Con (front bench) | no |
| Matthew Offord | Hendon | Con | aye |
| Eric Ollerenshaw | Lancaster and Fleetwood | Con | no |
| Richard Ottaway | Croydon South | Con (front bench) | aye |
| James Paice | South East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Neil Parish | Tiverton and Honiton | Con (front bench) | no |
| Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | no |
| John Penrose | Weston-Super-Mare | Con (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Percy | Brigg and Goole | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Claire Perry | Devizes | Con | no |
| Stephen Phillips | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | no |
| Christopher Pincher | Tamworth | Con (front bench) | no |
| Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | no |
| John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Yasmin Qureshi | Bolton South East | Lab (minister) | aye |
| John Randall | Uxbridge and South Ruislip | Con (front bench) | no |
| Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Mark Reckless | Rochester and Strood | Con (front bench) | aye |
| John Redwood | Wokingham | Con | aye |
| Jacob Rees-Mogg | North East Somerset | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Jonathan Reynolds | Stalybridge and Hyde | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | no |
| Andrew Robathan | South Leicestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Geoffrey Robinson | Coventry North West | Lab | aye |
| Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | aye |
| David Ruffley | Bury St Edmunds | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | no |
| David Rutley | Macclesfield | Con | no |
| Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem | aye |
| Laura Sandys | South Thanet | Con (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Selous | South West Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Grant Shapps | Welwyn Hatfield | Con (front bench) | no |
| Alok Sharma | Reading West | Con | no |
| Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Barry Sheerman | Huddersfield | Lab | aye |
| Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Mark Simmonds | Boston and Skegness | Con | no |
| David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | aye |
| Keith Simpson | Broadland | Con | no |
| Dennis Skinner | Bolsover | Lab | no |
| Angela Smith | Penistone and Stocksbridge | Lab (minister) | no |
| Chloe Smith | Norwich North | Con (front bench) | no |
| Julian Smith | Skipton and Ripon | Con | no |
| Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Anna Soubry | Broxtowe | Con | no |
| John Spellar | Warley | Lab (minister) | no |
| Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Stephenson | Pendle | Con | no |
| Bob Stewart | Beckenham | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Iain Stewart | Milton Keynes South | Con (front bench) | no |
| Gary Streeter | South West Devon | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Mel Stride | Central Devon | Con | no |
| Graham Stringer | Blackley and Broughton | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Julian Sturdy | York Outer | Con (front bench) | no |
| Ian Swales | Redcar | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Desmond Swayne | New Forest West | Con | no |
| Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem | no |
| Hugo Swire | East Devon | Con (front bench) | no |
| Robert Syms | Poole | Con (front bench) | no |
| Sarah Teather | Brent Central | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Stephen Timms | East Ham | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | no |
| Justin Tomlinson | North Swindon | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Stephen Twigg | Liverpool, West Derby | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Andrew Tyrie | Chichester | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | no |
| Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Theresa Villiers | Chipping Barnet | Con (front bench) | no |
| Robin Walker | Worcester | Con (front bench) | no |
| Ben Wallace | Wyre and Preston North | Con | no |
| Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | no |
| Angela Watkinson | Hornchurch and Upminster | Con (front bench) | no |
| Dave Watts | St Helens North | Lab (minister) | no |
| Steve Webb | Thornbury and Yate | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | aye |
| James Wharton | Stockton South | Con (front bench) | no |
| Heather Wheeler | South Derbyshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Chris White | Warwick and Leamington | Con (front bench) | no |
| Eilidh Whiteford | Banff and Buchan | SNP (front bench) | aye |
| Craig Whittaker | Calder Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
| John Whittingdale | Maldon | Con (front bench) | no |
| Bill Wiggin | North Herefordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Hywel Williams | Arfon | PC (front bench) | aye |
| Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Chris Williamson | Derby North | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Gavin Williamson | South Staffordshire | Con | no |
| Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con | no |
| David Winnick | Walsall North | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | aye |
| Sarah Wollaston | Totnes | Con (front bench) | aye |
| David Wright | Telford | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Jeremy Wright | Kenilworth and Southam | Con (front bench) | no |
| Simon Wright | Norwich South | LDem (front bench) | no |
| George Young | North West Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
