Economic Performance and Business — Reduce taxes during this recession — rejected — 21 Oct 2008 at 21:43

The majority of MPs voted against the motion, which read:[1]

  • This House
  • notes that, despite inheriting a strong economy and presiding over 10 years of growth, the Government has raided pension funds, increased taxation, reduced savings, encouraged debt, increased government borrowing and that 1.7 million people are now unemployed;
  • further notes that inflation is at a 16-year high, unemployment is rising at the fastest rate for 17 years and property sales are at a 30-year low;
  • regrets the pain that is now being caused to business by the severe financial turmoil and the Government's failure to prepare the British economy for any downturn;
  • further notes with concern the Ernst & Young Item Club's report that the UK economy has deteriorated dramatically in the past three months and is already in recession;
  • further notes that the number of British businesses in distress has more than doubled since the start of the year;
  • expresses concern that the limited availability of credit and the predatory behaviour by both banks and HM Revenue and Customs risks exacerbating the detrimental effects on business;
  • calls on the Government to introduce an urgent package of measures to alleviate business pain, including allowing small and medium sized enterprises to defer their VAT bills for up to six months and cutting small business National Insurance contributions by 1p for at least six months; and
  • endorses these measures as a first step towards alleviating business pain.

In its place another motion was proposed and passed with a vote.[2]

Debate in Parliament | Source |

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Party Summary

Votes by party, red entries are votes against the majority for that party.

What is Tell? '+1 tell' means that in addition one member of that party was a teller for that division lobby.

What are Boths? An MP can vote both aye and no in the same division. The boths page explains this.

What is Turnout? This is measured against the total membership of the party at the time of the vote.

PartyMajority (No)Minority (Aye)BothTurnout
Con0 162 (+2 tell)085.0%
DUP0 6066.7%
Independent2 1060.0%
Lab289 (+2 tell) 0083.4%
LDem0 44069.8%
PC1 0033.3%
SDLP3 00100.0%
SNP5 0071.4%
UKIP0 10100.0%
Total:300 214081.8%

Rebel Voters - sorted by party

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party. You can see all votes in this division, or every eligible MP who could have voted in this division

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
no rebellions

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