Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill — Clause 11 — number and distribution of seats — 1 Nov 2010 at 19:42

The majority of MPs voted against ensuring a whole number of MPs would represent each of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Anglesey, Argyll and Bute, the Highland Council area and the Isle of Wight.

MPs rejected adding these additional exemptions from the rules intended to equalise the number of electors in each UK parliamentary constituency. The provision as it stood already provided for the maintenance of the constituencies of Orkney and Shetland and Na h-Eileanan an Iar (The Outer Hebrides).

The rejected provision would have ensured neither the whole, or parts, of these additional areas are not merged with neighbouring areas to create new constituencies. The concerns are either that the resulting constituencies would end up being impractically geographically large, or that the constituencies' boundaries would become out of step with either the physical geography, or in the case of Cornwall the boundaries of the Celtic nation.

The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill[1][2] contained the clause:

  • Preserved constituencies
  • 6 (1) There shall continue to be—
  • (a) a constituency named Orkney and Shetland, comprising the areas of the Orkney Islands Council and the Shetland Islands Council;
  • (b) a constituency named Na h-Eileanan an Iar, comprising the area of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
  • (2) Rule 2 does not apply to these constituencies.

The rejected proposal voted on was to replace this with:

  • Whole numbers of constituencies
  • 6
  • (1) The following shall be allocated whole numbers of constituencies by whichever Boundary Commission is responsible for them-
  • (a) Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands council areas;
  • (b) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar council area;
  • (c) the Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn Isle of Anglesey county area;
  • (d) the Isle of Wight county area;
  • (e) the County of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly council areas;
  • (f) the Highland Council area;
  • (g) the Argyll and Bute Council area.
  • (2) The number of constituencies to be allocated to each area shall be determined by dividing the electorate of the area or areas concerned by the United Kingdom Electoral Average and rounding to the nearest whole number, unless this would mean that rule 4(1) could not be satisfied, in which case the area concerned will be allocated the smallest number of constituencies required in order to satisfy that rule. Each area must be allocated at least one whole constituency.
  • (3) In this rule "United Kingdom Electoral Average" means (where E is the electorate of the United Kingdom)

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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
Con273 (+1 tell) 8092.2%
DUP0 2025.0%
Lab0 229 (+1 tell)089.1%
LDem42 (+1 tell) 9 (+1 tell)093.0%
PC0 30100.0%
SDLP0 1033.3%
SNP0 5083.3%
Total:315 257089.9%

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
Peter BottomleyWorthing WestCon (front bench)aye
Philip DaviesShipleyCon (front bench)aye
George EusticeCamborne and RedruthCon (front bench)aye
Philip HolloboneKetteringCon (front bench)aye
Sheryll MurraySouth East CornwallCon (front bench)aye
Sarah NewtonTruro and FalmouthCon (front bench)aye
David NuttallBury NorthCon (front bench)aye
Andrew TurnerIsle of WightCon (front bench)aye
Andrew GeorgeSt IvesLDem (front bench)aye
Stephen GilbertSt Austell and NewquayLDem (front bench)aye
Mike HancockPortsmouth Southwhilst LDem (front bench)aye
Charles KennedyRoss, Skye and LochaberLDemaye
Greg MulhollandLeeds North WestLDem (front bench)aye
Alan ReidArgyll and ButeLDem (front bench)tellaye
Dan RogersonNorth CornwallLDem (front bench)aye
Bob RussellColchesterLDem (front bench)aye
Adrian SandersTorbayLDemaye
John ThursoCaithness, Sutherland and Easter RossLDem (front bench)aye

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