The majority of MPs voted not to hold a private session of the House of Commons.
The text of the motion rejected in the vote was:
-
That the House sit in private.
The House of Commons' Standing Order No. 163 says:
-
If at any sitting of the House... any Member moves 'That the House sit in private' the Speaker... shall forthwith put the question 'That the House sit in private', and such question, though opposed, may be decided after the expiration of the time for opposed business, but such a Motion may be made no more than once in any sitting.
Moving the motion to sit in private is almost always a procedural tactic. By ensuring the defeat of a motion to sit in private at the beginning of the sitting, the mover makes it impossible for any member to move the motion during a subsequent debate.
If such a motion is brought during the debate on a Bill, and fewer than 40 MPs vote in it, then the debate ends immediately regardless of the result (following Standing Order 44). Such an ending of debate occurred on the 14th of March 2003. The points of order following that division show MPs questioning the appropriateness of the tactic.
Moving a motion to sit in private is often done first thing on a Friday morning. Moving the motion ensures it can't be moved later in the day, when MPs might have returned to their constituencies for the weekend and too few members may be present to reach the 40 member threshold leading to the discussion of the business before the house (typically private members' Bills) being brought to an end.
See also What is a motion to sit in private? from the PublicWhip FAQ.
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 |
Hywel Francis | Aberavon | Lab (minister) | no |
Anne Begg | Aberdeen South | Lab (minister) | no |
Richard Shepherd | Aldridge-Brownhills | Con | no |
Mark Tami | Alyn and Deeside | Lab (minister) | no |
Nigel Mills | Amber Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
Michael Weir | Angus | SNP (front bench) | no |
Nick Herbert | Arundel and South Downs | Con | no |
Damian Green | Ashford | Con | no |
Tony Baldry | Banbury | Con (front bench) | no |
John Baron | Basildon and Billericay | Con (front bench) | no |
Don Foster | Bath | LDem (front bench) | no |
Dominic Grieve | Beaconsfield | Con | no |
Bob Stewart | Beckenham | Con (front bench) | no |
Richard Fuller | Bedford | Con (front bench) | no |
Simon Hughes | Bermondsey and Old Southwark | LDem (front bench) | no |
Alan Beith | Berwick-upon-Tweed | LDem (front bench) | no |
Michael Moore | Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | LDem | no |
Graham Stuart | Beverley and Holderness | Con (front bench) | no |
Gregory Barker | Bexhill and Battle | Con | no |
David Evennett | Bexleyheath and Crayford | Con (front bench) | no |
Frank Field | Birkenhead | Lab (minister) | no |
Richard Burden | Birmingham, Northfield | Lab (minister) | no |
John Hemming | Birmingham, Yardley | LDem (front bench) | no |
Helen Goodman | Bishop Auckland | Lab (minister) | no |
Gordon Marsden | Blackpool South | Lab (minister) | no |
David Anderson | Blaydon | Lab (minister) | no |
Nick Gibb | Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | Con (front bench) | no |
Dennis Skinner | Bolsover | Lab | no |
Julie Hilling | Bolton West | Lab (minister) | no |
David Tredinnick | Bosworth | Con (front bench) | no |
Conor Burns | Bournemouth West | Con (front bench) | no |
Phillip Lee | Bracknell | Con (front bench) | no |
Gerry Sutcliffe | Bradford South | Lab | no |
Brooks Newmark | Braintree | Con (front bench) | no |
Roger Williams | Brecon and Radnorshire | LDem (front bench) | no |
Sarah Teather | Brent Central | LDem (front bench) | no |
Mary Macleod | Brentford and Isleworth | Con | no |
Eric Pickles | Brentwood and Ongar | Con (front bench) | no |
Madeleine Moon | Bridgend | Lab (minister) | no |
Simon Kirby | Brighton, Kemptown | Con | no |
Kerry McCarthy | Bristol East | Lab (minister) | no |
Charlotte Leslie | Bristol North West | Con (front bench) | no |
David Nuttall | Bury North | Con (front bench) | aye |
Wayne David | Caerphilly | Lab | no |
John Thurso | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | LDem (front bench) | no |
George Eustice | Camborne and Redruth | Con (front bench) | no |
Julian Brazier | Canterbury | Con (front bench) | no |
Jonathan Evans | Cardiff North | Con | no |
Stephen Doughty | Cardiff South and Penarth | Lab (minister) | no |
Kevin Brennan | Cardiff West | Lab (minister) | no |
Jonathan Edwards | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | PC (front bench) | no |
Tom Brake | Carshalton and Wallington | LDem (front bench) | no |
Rebecca Harris | Castle Point | Con (front bench) | no |
Brian H Donohoe | Central Ayrshire | Lab | no |
Mel Stride | Central Devon | Con (front bench) | no |
Daniel Poulter | Central Suffolk and North Ipswich | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Williams | Ceredigion | LDem (front bench) | no |
Mark Hunter | Cheadle | LDem (front bench) | no |
Simon Burns | Chelmsford | Con | no |
Greg Hands | Chelsea and Fulham | Con (front bench) | no |
Martin Horwood | Cheltenham | LDem | no |
Andrew Tyrie | Chichester | Con (front bench) | no |
Iain Duncan Smith | Chingford and Woodford Green | Con (front bench) | no |
Duncan Hames | Chippenham | LDem | no |
Christopher Chope | Christchurch | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Field | Cities of London and Westminster | Con (front bench) | no |
Stephen Mosley | City of Chester | Con (front bench) | no |
Martin Vickers | Cleethorpes | Con (front bench) | no |
Susan Elan Jones | Clwyd South | Lab (minister) | no |
David Jones | Clwyd West | Con | no |
Tom Clarke | Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill | Lab (minister) | no |
Jason McCartney | Colne Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
Fiona Bruce | Congleton | Con (front bench) | no |
Jim Cunningham | Coventry South | Lab | no |
Henry Smith | Crawley | Con (front bench) | no |
Gavin Barwell | Croydon Central | Con (front bench) | tellno |
Jon Cruddas | Dagenham and Rainham | Lab (minister) | no |
Gareth Johnson | Dartford | Con (front bench) | no |
Chris Heaton-Harris | Daventry | Con (front bench) | no |
David Hanson | Delyn | Lab (minister) | no |
Andrew Gwynne | Denton and Reddish | Lab (minister) | no |
Patrick McLoughlin | Derbyshire Dales | Con (front bench) | no |
Caroline Flint | Don Valley | Lab (minister) | no |
Charlie Elphicke | Dover | Con (front bench) | no |
Chris Kelly | Dudley South | Con (front bench) | no |
Russell Brown | Dumfries and Galloway | Lab (minister) | no |
Jim McGovern | Dundee West | Lab (minister) | no |
Steve Pound | Ealing North | Lab (minister) | no |
Grahame Morris | Easington | Lab (minister) | no |
Damian Hinds | East Hampshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Fiona O'Donnell | East Lothian | Lab (minister) | no |
Stephen Lloyd | Eastbourne | LDem | no |
Mike Thornton | Eastleigh | LDem (front bench) | no |
Sheila Gilmore | Edinburgh East | Lab (minister) | no |
Mark Lazarowicz | Edinburgh North and Leith | Lab (minister) | no |
Ian Murray | Edinburgh South | Lab (minister) | no |
Alistair Darling | Edinburgh South West | Lab | no |
Andrew Miller | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Lab (minister) | no |
Nick de Bois | Enfield North | Con (front bench) | no |
David Burrowes | Enfield, Southgate | Con (front bench) | no |
Jessica Lee | Erewash | Con | no |
Teresa Pearce | Erith and Thamesmead | Lab (minister) | no |
Dominic Raab | Esher and Walton | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Hoban | Fareham | Con | no |
Jack Lopresti | Filton and Bradley Stoke | Con (front bench) | no |
Mike Freer | Finchley and Golders Green | Con | no |
Damian Collins | Folkestone and Hythe | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Harper | Forest of Dean | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Durkan | Foyle | SDLP (front bench) | no |
Mark Menzies | Fylde | Con (front bench) | no |
Maria Eagle | Garston and Halewood | Lab (minister) | no |
Ian Mearns | Gateshead | Lab (minister) | no |
Rehman Chishti | Gillingham and Rainham | Con (front bench) | no |
Ann McKechin | Glasgow North | Lab (minister) | no |
William Bain | Glasgow North East | Lab (minister) | no |
Tom Harris | Glasgow South | Lab (minister) | no |
Lindsay Roy | Glenrothes | Lab (minister) | no |
Richard Graham | Gloucester | Con | no |
Malcolm Bruce | Gordon | LDem (front bench) | no |
Nicholas Boles | Grantham and Stamford | Con (front bench) | no |
Adam Holloway | Gravesham | Con (front bench) | no |
Brandon Lewis | Great Yarmouth | Con (front bench) | no |
Nick Raynsford | Greenwich and Woolwich | Lab (minister) | no |
James Morris | Halesowen and Rowley Regis | Con | no |
David Davis | Haltemprice and Howden | Con | no |
Derek Twigg | Halton | Lab (minister) | no |
Andrew Slaughter | Hammersmith | Lab (minister) | no |
Edward Garnier | Harborough | Con (front bench) | no |
Robert Halfon | Harlow | Con | no |
Andrew Jones | Harrogate and Knaresborough | Con (front bench) | no |
Bob Blackman | Harrow East | Con (front bench) | no |
Iain Wright | Hartlepool | Lab (minister) | no |
Bernard Jenkin | Harwich and North Essex | Con (front bench) | no |
Amber Rudd | Hastings and Rye | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Stunell | Hazel Grove | LDem | no |
Mike Penning | Hemel Hempstead | Con (front bench) | no |
Jon Trickett | Hemsworth | Lab (minister) | no |
Matthew Offord | Hendon | Con (front bench) | no |
John Howell | Henley | Con | no |
Mark Prisk | Hertford and Stortford | Con | no |
Guy Opperman | Hexham | Con | no |
Jim Dobbin | Heywood and Middleton | Lab | no |
Andrew Bingham | High Peak | Con (front bench) | no |
Peter Lilley | Hitchin and Harpenden | Con (front bench) | no |
Angela Watkinson | Hornchurch and Upminster | Con (front bench) | no |
Lynne Featherstone | Hornsey and Wood Green | LDem (front bench) | no |
Francis Maude | Horsham | Con (front bench) | no |
Mike Weatherley | Hove | Con | no |
Barry Sheerman | Huddersfield | Lab | no |
Jonathan Djanogly | Huntingdon | Con | no |
Graham Jones | Hyndburn | Lab (minister) | no |
Andrew Turner | Isle of Wight | Con (front bench) | no |
Kris Hopkins | Keighley | Con (front bench) | no |
Philip Hollobone | Kettering | Con (front bench) | no |
Cathy Jamieson | Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Lab (minister) | no |
Edward Davey | Kingston and Surbiton | LDem (front bench) | no |
Karl Turner | Kingston upon Hull East | Lab (minister) | no |
Diana R. Johnson | Kingston upon Hull North | Lab (minister) | no |
George Howarth | Knowsley | Lab (minister) | no |
Jimmy Hood | Lanark and Hamilton East | Lab (minister) | no |
Eric Ollerenshaw | Lancaster and Fleetwood | Con | no |
Hilary Benn | Leeds Central | Lab (minister) | no |
George Mudie | Leeds East | Lab (minister) | no |
Fabian Hamilton | Leeds North East | Lab (minister) | no |
Greg Mulholland | Leeds North West | LDem (front bench) | no |
Rachel Reeves | Leeds West | Lab (minister) | no |
Heidi Alexander | Lewisham East | Lab (minister) | no |
Michael Fabricant | Lichfield | Con | no |
Karl McCartney | Lincoln | Con (front bench) | no |
Stephen Twigg | Liverpool, West Derby | Lab (minister) | no |
Nia Griffith | Llanelli | Lab (minister) | no |
Nicky Morgan | Loughborough | Con (front bench) | no |
Philip Dunne | Ludlow | Con (front bench) | no |
David Rutley | Macclesfield | Con | no |
Helen Grant | Maidstone and The Weald | Con (front bench) | no |
Yvonne Fovargue | Makerfield | Lab (minister) | no |
John Whittingdale | Maldon | Con (front bench) | no |
John Leech | Manchester, Withington | LDem | no |
George Hollingbery | Meon Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
Caroline Spelman | Meriden | Con (front bench) | no |
Annette Brooke | Mid Dorset and North Poole | LDem (front bench) | tellaye |
George Freeman | Mid Norfolk | Con (front bench) | no |
Tom Blenkinsop | Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | Lab (minister) | no |
David Hamilton | Midlothian | Lab (minister) | no |
Mark Lancaster | Milton Keynes North | Con (front bench) | no |
Iain Stewart | Milton Keynes South | Con (front bench) | no |
David Davies | Monmouth | Con (front bench) | no |
Frank Roy | Motherwell and Wishaw | Lab (minister) | no |
Desmond Swayne | New Forest West | Con (front bench) | no |
Robert Jenrick | Newark | Con (front bench) | no |
Nick Brown | Newcastle upon Tyne East | Lab (minister) | no |
Paul Farrelly | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Lab (minister) | no |
Katy Clark | North Ayrshire and Arran | Lab (minister) | no |
Dan Rogerson | North Cornwall | LDem (front bench) | no |
James Arbuthnot | North East Hampshire | Con | no |
Oliver Heald | North East Hertfordshire | Con | no |
Jacob Rees-Mogg | North East Somerset | Con (front bench) | aye |
Bill Wiggin | North Herefordshire | Con | no |
Norman Lamb | North Norfolk | LDem (front bench) | no |
Owen Paterson | North Shropshire | Con | no |
Liam Fox | North Somerset | Con | no |
Justin Tomlinson | North Swindon | Con (front bench) | no |
Roger Gale | North Thanet | Con (front bench) | no |
Mary Glindon | North Tyneside | Lab (minister) | no |
Dan Byles | North Warwickshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Shailesh Vara | North West Cambridgeshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Pat Glass | North West Durham | Lab (minister) | no |
George Young | North West Hampshire | Con | no |
James Gray | North Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | aye |
Michael Ellis | Northampton North | Con (front bench) | no |
Chloe Smith | Norwich North | Con (front bench) | no |
Simon Wright | Norwich South | LDem (front bench) | no |
Chris Leslie | Nottingham East | Lab (minister) | no |
Graham Allen | Nottingham North | Lab (minister) | no |
Lilian Greenwood | Nottingham South | Lab (minister) | no |
Marcus Jones | Nuneaton | Con (front bench) | no |
Gordon Banks | Ochil and South Perthshire | Lab (minister) | no |
Huw Irranca-Davies | Ogmore | Lab (minister) | no |
Debbie Abrahams | Oldham East and Saddleworth | Lab (minister) | no |
Jo Johnson | Orpington | Con (front bench) | no |
Nicola Blackwood | Oxford West and Abingdon | Con (front bench) | no |
Douglas Alexander | Paisley and Renfrewshire South | Lab (minister) | no |
Andrew Stephenson | Pendle | Con | no |
Alison Seabeck | Plymouth, Moor View | Lab (minister) | no |
Oliver Colvile | Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport | Con (front bench) | no |
Robert Syms | Poole | Con (front bench) | no |
Jim Fitzpatrick | Poplar and Limehouse | Lab (minister) | no |
Penny Mordaunt | Portsmouth North | Con (front bench) | no |
Stuart Andrew | Pudsey | Con | no |
Justine Greening | Putney | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Francois | Rayleigh and Wickford | Con (front bench) | no |
Rob Wilson | Reading East | Con | no |
Alok Sharma | Reading West | Con | no |
Ian Swales | Redcar | LDem | no |
Karen Lumley | Redditch | Con (front bench) | no |
Chris Bryant | Rhondda | Lab (minister) | no |
Nigel Evans | Ribble Valley | Con (front bench) | no |
William Hague | Richmond (Yorks) | Con (front bench) | no |
Zac Goldsmith | Richmond Park | Con (front bench) | no |
James Duddridge | Rochford and Southend East | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Rosindell | Romford | Con (front bench) | no |
Caroline Nokes | Romsey and Southampton North | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Pawsey | Rugby | Con (front bench) | no |
Nick Hurd | Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner | Con | no |
Alan Haselhurst | Saffron Walden | Con (front bench) | no |
John Glen | Salisbury | Con | no |
Phil Wilson | Sedgefield | Lab (minister) | no |
Nigel Adams | Selby and Ainsty | Con | no |
Paul Blomfield | Sheffield Central | Lab (minister) | no |
Philip Davies | Shipley | Con (front bench) | no |
Daniel Kawczynski | Shrewsbury and Atcham | Con | no |
Julian Smith | Skipton and Ripon | Con | no |
Stephen Phillips | Sleaford and North Hykeham | Con (front bench) | no |
David Heath | Somerton and Frome | LDem (front bench) | no |
Stephen Metcalfe | South Basildon and East Thurrock | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Lansley | South Cambridgeshire | Con | no |
Heather Wheeler | South Derbyshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Sheryll Murray | South East Cornwall | Con (front bench) | no |
John Hayes | South Holland and The Deepings | Con (front bench) | no |
Richard Bacon | South Norfolk | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrea Leadsom | South Northamptonshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Emma Lewell-Buck | South Shields | Lab (minister) | no |
Gavin Williamson | South Staffordshire | Con | no |
Tim Yeo | South Suffolk | Con (front bench) | no |
Robert Buckland | South Swindon | Con (front bench) | no |
Laura Sandys | South Thanet | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Selous | South West Bedfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
David Gauke | South West Hertfordshire | Con (front bench) | no |
Jeremy Hunt | South West Surrey | Con (front bench) | no |
Andrew Murrison | South West Wiltshire | Con (front bench) | no |
John Pugh | Southport | LDem (front bench) | no |
Kwasi Kwarteng | Spelthorne | Con (front bench) | no |
Dave Watts | St Helens North | Lab (minister) | no |
Shaun Woodward | St Helens South and Whiston | Lab | no |
Andrew George | St Ives | LDem (front bench) | tellaye |
Jeremy Lefroy | Stafford | Con (front bench) | no |
Karen Bradley | Staffordshire Moorlands | Con (front bench) | no |
Anne McGuire | Stirling | Lab (minister) | no |
James Wharton | Stockton South | Con | no |
Joan Walley | Stoke-on-Trent North | Lab (minister) | no |
Bill Cash | Stone | Con (front bench) | no |
Margot James | Stourbridge | Con | no |
Nadhim Zahawi | Stratford-on-Avon | Con (front bench) | no |
Neil Carmichael | Stroud | Con (front bench) | no |
Therese Coffey | Suffolk Coastal | Con (front bench) | no |
Michael Gove | Surrey Heath | Con (front bench) | no |
Paul Burstow | Sutton and Cheam | LDem | no |
Jeremy Browne | Taunton Deane | LDem (front bench) | no |
Laurence Robertson | Tewkesbury | Con (front bench) | no |
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown | The Cotswolds | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin | Con (front bench) | no |
Anne McIntosh | Thirsk and Malton | Con (front bench) | no |
Steve Webb | Thornbury and Yate | LDem (front bench) | no |
Neil Parish | Tiverton and Honiton | Con (front bench) | no |
Sadiq Khan | Tooting | Lab (minister) | no |
Paul Murphy | Torfaen | Lab (minister) | no |
Sarah Wollaston | Totnes | Con (front bench) | no |
Sarah Newton | Truro and Falmouth | Con (front bench) | no |
Greg Clark | Tunbridge Wells | Con (front bench) | no |
Alan Campbell | Tynemouth | Lab (minister) | no |
John Randall | Uxbridge and South Ruislip | Con (front bench) | no |
Chris Ruane | Vale of Clwyd | Lab (minister) | no |
Alun Cairns | Vale of Glamorgan | Con (front bench) | no |
Ed Vaizey | Wantage | Con (front bench) | no |
David Mowat | Warrington South | Con | no |
Sharon Hodgson | Washington and Sunderland West | Lab (minister) | no |
Richard Harrington | Watford | Con | no |
Peter Aldous | Waveney | Con (front bench) | no |
Graham Evans | Weaver Vale | Con (front bench) | no |
Tessa Munt | Wells | LDem (front bench) | no |
Grant Shapps | Welwyn Hatfield | Con (front bench) | no |
John Healey | Wentworth and Dearne | Lab | no |
Robert Smith | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | LDem (front bench) | no |
Oliver Letwin | West Dorset | Con (front bench) | no |
Matthew Hancock | West Suffolk | Con (front bench) | no |
John Penrose | Weston-Super-Mare | Con (front bench) | tellno |
Lisa Nandy | Wigan | Lab (minister) | no |
Stephen Hammond | Wimbledon | Con | no |
Priti Patel | Witham | Con (front bench) | no |
Paul Uppal | Wolverhampton South West | Con | no |
Robin Walker | Worcester | Con (front bench) | no |
Peter Bottomley | Worthing West | Con (front bench) | no |
Ian Lucas | Wrexham | Lab (minister) | no |
Steven Baker | Wycombe | Con (front bench) | no |
Ben Wallace | Wyre and Preston North | Con (front bench) | no |
Mark Garnier | Wyre Forest | Con (front bench) | no |
Julian Sturdy | York Outer | Con | no |