Comparison of Divisions: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks — rejected — 20 May 2008 at 22:00 with Division No. 203 on the same day at 22:00

(Swap the two divisions around).

Vote (a) : Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks — rejected - 20 May 2008 at 22:00 - Division No. 201

The majority of MPs voted against adding an new paragraph to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to change the time limit for the legal termination of pregnancy from 24 weeks to 20 weeks.[1]

A preceding attempt to change the limit to 16 weeks had also failed.[2]

Vote (b) : Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 22 weeks — rejected - 20 May 2008 at 22:00 - Division No. 203

The majority of MPs voted against adding an new paragraph to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to change the time limit for the legal termination of pregnancy from 24 weeks to 22 weeks.[1]

A preceding attempt to change the limit to 20 weeks had also failed.[2] 31 MPs voted who voted against changing to 20 weeks, voted for changing to 22 weeks.[3]

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Difference in Votes - sorted by party

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)

NameConstituencyPartyVote (a)Vote (b)
Ian Liddell-GraingerBridgwaterCon (front bench)aye no
Eleanor LaingEpping ForestCon (front bench)aye absent
James ArbuthnotNorth East HampshireCon (front bench)no aye
Geoffrey Clifton-BrownCotswoldCon (front bench)no aye
David Heathcoat-AmoryWellsCon (front bench)no aye
Douglas HoggSleaford and North HykehamConno aye
Nick HurdRuislip - NorthwoodCon (front bench)no aye
Malcolm RifkindKensington and ChelseaConno aye
Mark SimmondsBoston and SkegnessCon (front bench)no aye
John StanleyTonbridge and MallingCon (front bench)no aye
Hugo SwireEast DevonConno aye
Peter BottomleyWorthing WestCon (front bench)absent aye
Graham BradyAltrincham and Sale WestCon (front bench)absent aye
David DavisHaltemprice and HowdenCon (front bench)absent aye
John HoramOrpingtonCon (front bench)absent aye
Gerald HowarthAldershotCon (front bench)absent aye
Andrew LansleySouth CambridgeshireCon (front bench)absent aye
Tim LoughtonEast Worthing and ShorehamCon (front bench)absent aye
Richard OttawayCroydon SouthCon (front bench)absent aye
Michael SpicerWest WorcestershireCon (front bench)absent aye
Ben WallaceLancaster and WyreCon (front bench)absent aye
Shahid MalikDewsburyLab (minister)aye no
Celia BarlowHoveLab (minister)no aye
Parmjit DhandaGloucesterLab (minister)no aye
Jim FitzpatrickPoplar and Canning TownLab (minister)no aye
David HamiltonMidlothianLab (minister)no aye
Martin LintonBatterseaLab (minister)no aye
Eric MartlewCarlisleLab (minister)no aye
Chris MullinSunderland SouthLab (minister)no aye
Nick PalmerBroxtoweLab (minister)no aye
James PlaskittWarwick and LeamingtonLab (minister)no aye
Paddy TippingSherwoodLab (minister)no aye
Kitty UssherBurnleyLab (minister)no aye
Iain WrightHartlepoolLab (minister)no aye
Liam ByrneBirmingham, Hodge HillLab (minister)no absent
Andrew GwynneDenton and ReddishLab (minister)absent aye
Ivan LewisBury SouthLab (minister)absent aye
Mike O'BrienNorth WarwickshireLab (minister)absent aye
Terry RooneyBradford NorthLab (minister)absent aye
Gerry SutcliffeBradford SouthLab (minister)absent aye
Jane KennedyLiverpool, WavertreeLab (minister)absent no
Denis MacShaneRotherhamLababsent no
Shona McIsaacCleethorpesLababsent no
John BarrettEdinburgh WestLDem (front bench)no aye
Annette BrookeMid Dorset and North PooleLDem (front bench)no aye
Lorely BurtSolihullLDem (front bench)no aye
Mike HancockPortsmouth SouthLDem (front bench)no aye
Martin HorwoodCheltenhamLDem (front bench)no aye
Mark HunterCheadleLDem (front bench)no aye
Alan ReidArgyll and ButeLDem (front bench)no aye
Steve WebbNorthavonLDem (front bench)no aye
Mark WilliamsCeredigionLDem (front bench)no aye
Phil WillisHarrogate and KnaresboroughLDem (front bench)no aye

Division Similarity Ratio

The measure of similarity between these two divisions is a calculation based on a comparison of their votes.

There were 645 MPs who could have voted in both of these divisions, and 490 voted the same way, with 33 voting in opposite ways. There were 102 MPs who didn't vote in either division, and 20 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])
=
490
(490 + 33 + 0.2x20)
=
490
527
= 0.930 = 93.0 %.


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