The majority of MPs voted for members of the House of Commons Backbench Business Committee to be elected by members of political parties rather than, as was the case previously, by the whole House of Commons, and to make other changes to the operation of the 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 motion approved in this vote started:
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That
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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.
and included a requirement that:
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No Member may be a candidate for the chair of the committee if that Member’s party is represented in Her Majesty’s Government
The approved motion also amended the requirements for nomination to stand as a member of the committee changing them from:
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Each nomination shall consist of a signed statement made by the candidate declaring their willingness to stand for election, accompanied by the signatures of not fewer than twenty nor more than twenty-five Members, of whom no fewer than ten shall be members of the candidate’s party and no fewer than ten shall be members of any other party or no party.
to
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Each nomination shall consist of a signed statement made by the candidate declaring their willingness to stand for election, accompanied by the signatures of not fewer than twenty nor more than twenty-five Members, of whom no fewer than ten shall be members of a party represented in Her Majesty’s Government and no fewer than ten shall be members of a party not so represented or of no party.
This altered the requirement from being support from within, and outside a member's party; to requiring support from members of a party in Government and MPs not members of a party in Government.
The requirements relating to the holding of elections for committee membership by the Speaker and clerks were removed as a result of the motion being passed; as the process was being replaced by elections to be carried out by political parties.
The previous rules for the election of the committee were contained within House of Commons Standing Order 122D[3], they provided for elections to the committee by all MPs, subject to criteria including:
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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
Following the motion the chair of the committee was to continue to be elected by members of the House of Commons and the procedure for the post of chair being made vacant was made the same as that applying to chairs of select committees.
Provisions for involvement of non-members were added to the standing orders by the approved motion as follows:
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The Committee shall have power to invite Members of the House who are not members of the Committee and who are of a party not represented on the Committee or of no party to attend its meetings and, at the discretion of the chair, take part in its proceedings, but—
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(a) no more than one Member may be so invited to attend in respect of the same meeting;
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(b) a Member so invited shall not move any motion or amendment to any motion, vote or be counted in the quorum.’.
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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 |
Debbie Abrahams | Oldham East and Saddleworth | Lab (minister) | aye |
Nigel Adams | Selby and Ainsty | Con | aye |
Adam Afriyie | Windsor | Con (front bench) | aye |
Peter Aldous | Waveney | Con (front bench) | aye |
Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab (minister) | aye |
David Anderson | Blaydon | Lab (minister) | no |
Stuart Andrew | Pudsey | Con (front bench) | aye |
Jon Ashworth | Leicester South | Lab (minister) | aye |
Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | no |
Adrian Bailey | West Bromwich West | Lab (minister) | no |
Norman Baker | Lewes | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Tony Baldry | Banbury | Con (front bench) | aye |
Steve Barclay | North East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
John Baron | Basildon and Billericay | Con (front bench) | no |
Kevin Barron | Rother Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
Gavin Barwell | Croydon Central | Con (front bench) | aye |
Guto Bebb | Aberconwy | Con (front bench) | aye |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | no |
Henry Bellingham | North West Norfolk | Con (front bench) | aye |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
Luciana Berger | Liverpool, Wavertree | Lab (minister) | aye |
Jake Berry | Rossendale and Darwen | Con | aye |
Gordon Birtwistle | Burnley | LDem | aye |
Bob Blackman | Harrow East | Con (front bench) | aye |
Hazel Blears | Salford and Eccles | Lab (minister) | aye |
Tom Blenkinsop | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | aye |
Paul Blomfield | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
David Blunkett | Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough | Lab | aye |
Nicholas Boles | Grantham and Stamford | Con | aye |
Peter Bone | Wellingborough | Con (front bench) | tellno |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | aye |
Karen Bradley | Staffordshire Moorlands | Con (front bench) | aye |
Ben Bradshaw | Exeter | Lab (minister) | no |
Graham Brady | Altrincham and Sale West | Con (front bench) | no |
Angie Bray | Ealing Central and Acton | Con | aye |
Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | both |
Andrew Bridgen | North West Leicestershire | Con (front bench) | no |
Russell Brown | Dumfries and Galloway | Lab | aye |
Fiona Bruce | Congleton | Con (front bench) | aye |
Chris Bryant | Rhondda | Lab (minister) | no |
Robert Buckland | South Swindon | Con (front bench) | no |
Simon Burns | Chelmsford | Con (front bench) | aye |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con | aye |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Lorely Burt | Solihull | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Alan Campbell | Tynemouth | Lab (minister) | aye |
Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Neil Carmichael | Stroud | Con (front bench) | aye |
Douglas Carswell | Clacton | Con | no |
Bill Cash | Stone | Con (front bench) | no |
Jenny Chapman | Darlington | Lab (minister) | no |
Rehman Chishti | Gillingham and Rainham | Con (front bench) | aye |
Greg Clark | Tunbridge Wells | Con (front bench) | aye |
Damian Collins | Folkestone and Hythe | Con (front bench) | aye |
Oliver Colvile | Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport | Con (front bench) | aye |
Rosie Cooper | West Lancashire | Lab (minister) | no |
Stephen Crabb | Preseli Pembrokeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
John Cryer | Leyton and Wanstead | Lab | no |
Alex Cunningham | Stockton North | Lab (minister) | aye |
Jim Cunningham | Coventry South | Lab | no |
Nicholas Dakin | Scunthorpe | Lab (minister) | aye |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Wayne David | Caerphilly | Lab (minister) | aye |
Glyn Davies | Montgomeryshire | Con | aye |
Philip Davies | Shipley | Con (front bench) | no |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con | no |
John Denham | Southampton, Itchen | Lab | aye |
Jonathan Djanogly | Huntingdon | Con (front bench) | aye |
Thomas Docherty | Dunfermline and West Fife | Lab (minister) | aye |
Brian H Donohoe | Central Ayrshire | Lab | no |
James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con (front bench) | aye |
Iain Duncan Smith | Chingford and Woodford Green | Con (front bench) | aye |
Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | aye |
Angela Eagle | Wallasey | Lab (minister) | aye |
Maria Eagle | Garston and Halewood | Lab (minister) | aye |
Clive Efford | Eltham | Lab (minister) | no |
Michael Ellis | Northampton North | Con (front bench) | aye |
Tobias Ellwood | Bournemouth East | Con | aye |
Charlie Elphicke | Dover | Con (front bench) | aye |
Natascha Engel | North East Derbyshire | Lab (minister) | tellno |
Bill Esterson | Sefton Central | Lab (minister) | no |
Graham Evans | Weaver Vale | Con (front bench) | aye |
David Evennett | Bexleyheath and Crayford | Con | aye |
Michael Fabricant | Lichfield | Con (front bench) | aye |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
Jim Fitzpatrick | Poplar and Limehouse | Lab (minister) | aye |
Yvonne Fovargue | Makerfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
Mark Francois | Rayleigh and Wickford | Con (front bench) | aye |
George Freeman | Mid Norfolk | Con | aye |
Barry Gardiner | Brent North | Lab (minister) | no |
Edward Garnier | Harborough | Con (front bench) | aye |
David Gauke | South West Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | no |
Dame Cheryl Gillan | Chesham and Amersham | Con (front bench) | aye |
Pat Glass | North West Durham | Lab (minister) | no |
John Glen | Salisbury | Con (front bench) | aye |
Mary Glindon | North Tyneside | Lab (minister) | aye |
Paul Goggins | Wythenshawe and Sale East | Lab | no |
Zac Goldsmith | Richmond Park | Con (front bench) | no |
Robert Goodwill | Scarborough and Whitby | Con (front bench) | aye |
Richard Graham | Gloucester | Con | aye |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Chris Grayling | Epsom and Ewell | Con (front bench) | aye |
Damian Green | Ashford | Con (front bench) | aye |
Kate Green | Stretford and Urmston | Lab (minister) | no |
Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | aye |
Lilian Greenwood | Nottingham South | Lab (minister) | aye |
Dominic Grieve | Beaconsfield | Con (front bench) | aye |
Robert Halfon | Harlow | Con (front bench) | no |
Duncan Hames | Chippenham | LDem | aye |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | aye |
Stephen Hammond | Wimbledon | Con | aye |
Greg Hands | Chelsea and Fulham | Con (front bench) | tellaye |
David Hanson | Delyn | Lab (minister) | aye |
Mark Harper | Forest of Dean | Con (front bench) | aye |
Rebecca Harris | Castle Point | Con (front bench) | aye |
John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (front bench) | aye |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | aye |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | no |
Mark Hendrick | Preston | Lab (minister) | aye |
Nick Herbert | Arundel and South Downs | Con (front bench) | aye |
Julie Hilling | Bolton West | Lab (minister) | aye |
Damian Hinds | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Sharon Hodgson | Washington and Sunderland West | Lab (minister) | aye |
Kelvin Hopkins | Luton North | Lab (minister) | no |
Stewart Hosie | Dundee East | SNP (front bench) | no |
John Howell | Henley | Con | aye |
Simon Hughes | Bermondsey and Old Southwark | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | tellaye |
Huw Irranca-Davies | Ogmore | Lab (minister) | aye |
Margot James | Stourbridge | Con (front bench) | aye |
Sajid Javid | Bromsgrove | Con | aye |
Bernard Jenkin | Harwich and North Essex | Con (front bench) | no |
Diana R. Johnson | Kingston upon Hull North | Lab (minister) | aye |
Gareth Johnson | Dartford | Con (front bench) | aye |
Jo Johnson | Orpington | Con | aye |
Andrew Jones | Harrogate and Knaresborough | Con (front bench) | aye |
David Jones | Clwyd West | Con (front bench) | aye |
Graham Jones | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | aye |
Kevan Jones | North Durham | Lab (minister) | no |
Daniel Kawczynski | Shrewsbury and Atcham | Con | aye |
Simon Kirby | Brighton, Kemptown | Con (front bench) | aye |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Mark Lancaster | Milton Keynes North | Con | aye |
Jessica Lee | Erewash | Con | aye |
Phillip Lee | Bracknell | Con (front bench) | aye |
Oliver Letwin | West Dorset | Con (front bench) | aye |
Julian Lewis | New Forest East | Con (front bench) | no |
Ian Liddell-Grainger | Bridgwater and West Somerset | Con (front bench) | aye |
Elfyn Llwyd | Dwyfor Meirionnydd | PC (front bench) | no |
Jonathan Lord | Woking | Con | aye |
Tim Loughton | East Worthing and Shoreham | Con (front bench) | aye |
Peter Luff | Mid Worcestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Mary Macleod | Brentford and Isleworth | Con | aye |
Denis MacShane | Rotherham | Lab | no |
Seema Malhotra | Feltham and Heston | Lab (minister) | no |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | aye |
Jason McCartney | Colne Valley | Con | aye |
Karl McCartney | Lincoln | Con | no |
William McCrea | South Antrim | DUP (front bench) | no |
Anne McIntosh | Thirsk and Malton | Con (front bench) | no |
Ann McKechin | Glasgow North | Lab (minister) | aye |
Patrick McLoughlin | Derbyshire Dales | Con (front bench) | aye |
Michael Meacher | Oldham West and Royton | Lab | no |
Alan Meale | Mansfield | Lab (minister) | aye |
Mark Menzies | Fylde | Con | aye |
Alun Michael | Cardiff South and Penarth | Lab | aye |
David Miliband | South Shields | Lab | aye |
Maria Miller | Basingstoke | Con (front bench) | aye |
Nigel Mills | Amber Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Mitchell | Sutton Coldfield | Con (front bench) | aye |
Madeleine Moon | Bridgend | Lab (minister) | no |
Jessica Morden | Newport East | Lab (minister) | aye |
Nicky Morgan | Loughborough | Con | aye |
David Morris | Morecambe and Lunesdale | Con | aye |
Grahame Morris | Easington | Lab (minister) | no |
Stephen Mosley | City of Chester | Con (front bench) | aye |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | no |
David Mundell | Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | Con (front bench) | aye |
Meg Munn | Sheffield, Heeley | Lab | aye |
Tessa Munt | Wells | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Ian Murray | Edinburgh South | Lab (minister) | aye |
Andrew Murrison | South West Wiltshire | Con | aye |
Bob Neill | Bromley and Chislehurst | Con (front bench) | aye |
Brooks Newmark | Braintree | Con (front bench) | aye |
Sarah Newton | Truro and Falmouth | Con (front bench) | aye |
David Nuttall | Bury North | Con (front bench) | no |
Stephen O'Brien | Eddisbury | Con (front bench) | aye |
Matthew Offord | Hendon | Con | no |
Eric Ollerenshaw | Lancaster and Fleetwood | Con | aye |
Chi Onwurah | Newcastle upon Tyne Central | Lab (minister) | no |
Richard Ottaway | Croydon South | Con (front bench) | no |
Albert Owen | Ynys Môn | Lab (minister) | aye |
James Paice | South East Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Neil Parish | Tiverton and Honiton | Con (front bench) | aye |
Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | aye |
Andrew Percy | Brigg and Goole | Con (front bench) | aye |
Claire Perry | Devizes | Con | aye |
Stephen Phillips | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con (front bench) | aye |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | aye |
Christopher Pincher | Tamworth | Con (front bench) | aye |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | no |
John Randall | Uxbridge and South Ruislip | Con (front bench) | aye |
Mark Reckless | Rochester and Strood | Con (front bench) | no |
John Redwood | Wokingham | Con | no |
Jacob Rees-Mogg | North East Somerset | Con (front bench) | aye |
Jonathan Reynolds | Stalybridge and Hyde | Lab (minister) | no |
Linda Riordan | Halifax | Lab (minister) | aye |
Andrew Robathan | South Leicestershire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Geoffrey Robinson | Coventry North West | Lab | no |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab (minister) | aye |
Bob Russell | Colchester | LDem (front bench) | aye |
David Rutley | Macclesfield | Con | aye |
Adrian Sanders | Torbay | LDem | no |
Andrew Selous | South West Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Grant Shapps | Welwyn Hatfield | Con (front bench) | aye |
Alok Sharma | Reading West | Con | aye |
Virendra Sharma | Ealing, Southall | Lab (minister) | no |
Barry Sheerman | Huddersfield | Lab | aye |
Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Simmonds | Boston and Skegness | Con | aye |
David Simpson | Upper Bann | DUP (front bench) | no |
Keith Simpson | Broadland | Con | aye |
Dennis Skinner | Bolsover | Lab | no |
Andrew Smith | Oxford East | Lab | no |
Angela Smith | Penistone and Stocksbridge | Lab (minister) | aye |
Chloe Smith | Norwich North | Con (front bench) | aye |
Julian Smith | Skipton and Ripon | Con | aye |
Nick Smith | Blaenau Gwent | Lab (minister) | no |
Owen Smith | Pontypridd | Lab | aye |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | no |
Nicholas Soames | Mid Sussex | Con | aye |
Anna Soubry | Broxtowe | Con | aye |
John Spellar | Warley | Lab (minister) | aye |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | aye |
Andrew Stephenson | Pendle | Con | aye |
Bob Stewart | Beckenham | Con (front bench) | aye |
Iain Stewart | Milton Keynes South | Con (front bench) | aye |
Jack Straw | Blackburn | Lab | no |
Mel Stride | Central Devon | Con | aye |
Graham Stringer | Blackley and Broughton | Lab (minister) | aye |
Gisela Stuart | Birmingham, Edgbaston | Lab (minister) | no |
Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Julian Sturdy | York Outer | Con (front bench) | aye |
Ian Swales | Redcar | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Desmond Swayne | New Forest West | Con | aye |
Jo Swinson | East Dunbartonshire | LDem | aye |
Robert Syms | Poole | Con (front bench) | aye |
Mark Tami | Alyn and Deeside | Lab (minister) | aye |
Sarah Teather | Brent Central | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Stephen Timms | East Ham | Lab (minister) | aye |
Edward Timpson | Crewe and Nantwich | Con | aye |
Justin Tomlinson | North Swindon | Con (front bench) | aye |
Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con (front bench) | no |
Stephen Twigg | Liverpool, West Derby | Lab (minister) | no |
Andrew Tyrie | Chichester | Con (front bench) | no |
Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | aye |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Theresa Villiers | Chipping Barnet | Con (front bench) | aye |
Robin Walker | Worcester | Con (front bench) | aye |
Ben Wallace | Wyre and Preston North | Con | aye |
Robert Walter | North Dorset | Con | aye |
Angela Watkinson | Hornchurch and Upminster | Con (front bench) | aye |
Dave Watts | St Helens North | Lab (minister) | aye |
Steve Webb | Thornbury and Yate | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | no |
Heather Wheeler | South Derbyshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Eilidh Whiteford | Banff and Buchan | SNP (front bench) | no |
Craig Whittaker | Calder Valley | Con (front bench) | aye |
John Whittingdale | Maldon | Con (front bench) | no |
Bill Wiggin | North Herefordshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Hywel Williams | Arfon | PC (front bench) | no |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | aye |
Chris Williamson | Derby North | Lab (minister) | no |
Gavin Williamson | South Staffordshire | Con | aye |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con | aye |
Rosie Winterton | Doncaster Central | Lab (minister) | aye |
Pete Wishart | Perth and North Perthshire | SNP (front bench) | no |
Sarah Wollaston | Totnes | Con (front bench) | no |
David Wright | Telford | Lab (minister) | no |
Jeremy Wright | Kenilworth and Southam | Con (front bench) | aye |
Simon Wright | Norwich South | LDem (front bench) | aye |
George Young | North West Hampshire | Con (front bench) | aye |