Comparison of Divisions: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill — Change abortion limit from 24 weeks to 22 weeks — rejected — 20 May 2008 at 22:00 with Division No. 201 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 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]

Vote (b) : 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]

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

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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