The majority of MPs voted against requiring a representative of MPs from minority parties on the Backbench Business Committee.
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 (a), at end of paragraph (1), after ‘choose’, insert:
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‘; and that the members of those parties who would not otherwise be represented on the Committee, or of no party, should choose one Member to represent them on the Committee by a secret ballot of those Members’.
MP Natascha Engel who proposed the amendment spoke during the debate to say[2]:
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The Backbench Business Committee is different from other Select Committees, in that it represents all Back Benchers of the House. At the moment, however, we do that very poorly by not having representation from the minority parties.
At the time of the vote section 2(f)(i) of House of Commons Standing Order 122D[3] which set out the rules for the election of the Backbench Business Committee required that:
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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
==
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 |
| Rushanara Ali | Bethnal Green and Bow | Lab (minister) | no |
| Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab (minister) | no |
| David Anderson | Blaydon | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Stuart Andrew | Pudsey | 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 |
| Tony Baldry | Banbury | Con (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 |
| Clive Betts | Sheffield South East | Lab (minister) | no |
| 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) | aye |
| 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 |
| Angie Bray | Ealing Central and Acton | Con | no |
| Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Andrew Bridgen | North West Leicestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Fiona Bruce | Congleton | Con (front bench) | no |
| Chris Bryant | Rhondda | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Robert Buckland | South Swindon | Con (front bench) | no |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Jenny Chapman | Darlington | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Rehman Chishti | Gillingham and Rainham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Greg Clark | Tunbridge Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
| Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Ann Clwyd | Cynon Valley | Lab (minister) | aye |
| 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 |
| Mary Creagh | Wakefield | Lab (minister) | 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 | no |
| 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) | no |
| Angela Eagle | Wallasey | 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) | aye |
| Bill Esterson | Sefton Central | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Kate Green | Stretford and Urmston | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | no |
| Dominic Grieve | Beaconsfield | Con (front bench) | no |
| Robert Halfon | Harlow | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Duncan Hames | Chippenham | LDem | no |
| David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Stephen Hammond | Wimbledon | Con | no |
| Matthew Hancock | West Suffolk | Con (front bench) | no |
| Greg Hands | Chelsea and Fulham | Con (front bench) | tellno |
| David Hanson | Delyn | Lab (minister) | no |
| Mark Harper | Forest of Dean | Con (front bench) | no |
| Rebecca Harris | Castle Point | 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 |
| Sharon Hodgson | Washington and Sunderland West | Lab (minister) | aye |
| 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) | aye |
| Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | tellno |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Chris Leslie | Nottingham East | Lab (minister) | no |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Seema Malhotra | Feltham and Heston | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Jason McCartney | Colne Valley | Con | no |
| Karl McCartney | Lincoln | Con | aye |
| William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | aye |
| Anne McIntosh | Thirsk and Malton | Con (front bench) | no |
| Patrick McLoughlin | Derbyshire Dales | Con (front bench) | no |
| Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | aye |
| Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
| 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 |
| Madeleine Moon | Bridgend | 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 |
| David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | no |
| Meg Munn | Sheffield, Heeley | Lab | aye |
| Tessa Munt | Wells | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| 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 |
| Chi Onwurah | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
| 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 |
| 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) | aye |
| John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | no |
| John Randall | Uxbridge and South Ruislip | Con (front bench) | no |
| 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) | 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 |
| Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | no |
| David Rutley | Macclesfield | Con | no |
| Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem | aye |
| Andrew Selous | South West Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
| Grant Shapps | Welwyn Hatfield | Con (front bench) | no |
| Alok Sharma | Reading West | Con | no |
| 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 | aye |
| Andrew Slaughter | Hammersmith | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | aye |
| Angela Smith | Penistone and Stocksbridge | Lab (minister) | no |
| Chloe Smith | Norwich North | Con (front bench) | no |
| Julian Smith | Skipton and Ripon | Con | no |
| Nick Smith | Blaenau Gwent | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | aye |
| Anna Soubry | Broxtowe | Con | no |
| Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | no |
| Andrew Stephenson | Pendle | Con | no |
| Bob Stewart | Beckenham | Con (front bench) | no |
| Iain Stewart | Milton Keynes South | Con (front bench) | no |
| Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab | aye |
| 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) | no |
| 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 |
| Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | no |
| Justin Tomlinson | North Swindon | Con (front bench) | no |
| 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 |
| Steve Webb | Thornbury and Yate | LDem (front bench) | no |
| Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | aye |
| Heather Wheeler | South Derbyshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
| Eilidh Whiteford | Banff and Buchan | SNP (front bench) | tellaye |
| Alan Whitehead | Southampton, Test | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Craig Whittaker | Calder Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
| John Whittingdale | Maldon | Con (front bench) | aye |
| 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) | aye |
| Gavin Williamson | South Staffordshire | Con | no |
| David Winnick | Walsall North | Lab (minister) | aye |
| Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | tellaye |
| 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 |
