Motion to Sit in Private — 1 Dec 2017

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 |

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All Votes Cast - sorted by party

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.

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
Lucy AllanTelfordCon (front bench)tellaye
Jacob Rees-MoggNorth East SomersetCon (front bench)tellaye
Stuart AndrewPudseyCon (front bench)no
Edward ArgarCharnwoodConno
Harriett BaldwinWest WorcestershireCon (front bench)no
Steve BarclayNorth East CambridgeshireCon (front bench)no
Peter BoneWellingboroughCon (front bench)no
Suella BravermanFarehamConno
James CartlidgeSouth SuffolkConno
Mims DaviesEastleighCon (front bench)no
Caroline DinenageGosportCon (front bench)no
Michelle DonelanChippenhamCon (front bench)no
Oliver DowdenHertsmereConno
Jackie Doyle-PriceThurrockCon (front bench)no
Kevin FosterTorbayCon (front bench)no
Lucy FrazerSouth East CambridgeshireConno
Mike FreerFinchley and Golders GreenCon (front bench)no
Nick GibbBognor Regis and LittlehamptonCon (front bench)no
Sam GyimahEast Surreywhilst Con (front bench)no
Luke HallThornbury and YateConno
Matthew HancockWest SuffolkCon (front bench)no
Mark HarperForest of DeanConno
Rebecca HarrisCastle PointCon (front bench)no
Chris Heaton-HarrisDaventryCon (front bench)no
Kevin HollinrakeThirsk and MaltonCon (front bench)no
Philip HolloboneKetteringCon (front bench)no
Nick HurdRuislip, Northwood and PinnerCon (front bench)no
Bernard JenkinHarwich and North EssexCon (front bench)no
Marcus JonesNuneatonCon (front bench)no
Kwasi KwartengSpelthorneConno
Brandon LewisGreat YarmouthCon (front bench)no
Huw MerrimanBexhill and BattleCon (front bench)no
Wendy MortonAldridge-BrownhillsConno
Claire PerryDevizesCon (front bench)no
Chris PhilpCroydon SouthConno
Christopher PincherTamworthConno
Victoria PrentisBanburyCon (front bench)no
Chris SkidmoreKingswoodCon (front bench)no
Chloe SmithNorwich NorthCon (front bench)no
Bob StewartBeckenhamCon (front bench)no
Rory StewartPenrith and The Borderwhilst Con (front bench)no
Rishi SunakRichmond (Yorks)Conno
Anne-Marie TrevelyanBerwick-upon-TweedConno
William WraggHazel GroveCon (front bench)no
Jeremy WrightKenilworth and SouthamCon (front bench)no
Lord John [Missing last name for 41744]BassetlawLab (minister)no
Rosena Allin-KhanTootingLab (minister)no
Mike AmesburyWeaver ValeLab (minister)no
Adrian BaileyWest Bromwich WestLab (minister)no
Kevin BarronRother ValleyLab (minister)no
Hilary BennLeeds CentralLab (minister)no
Paul BlomfieldSheffield CentralLab (minister)no
Kevin BrennanCardiff WestLab (minister)no
Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne EastLab (minister)no
Chris BryantRhonddaLab (minister)no
Karen BuckWestminster NorthLab (minister)no
Richard BurgonLeeds EastLab (minister)no
Dawn ButlerBrent CentralLab (minister)no
Ruth CadburyBrentford and IsleworthLab (minister)no
Alan CampbellTynemouthLab (minister)tellno
Bambos CharalambousEnfield, SouthgateLab (minister)no
Vernon CoakerGedlingLab (minister)no
Julie CooperBurnleyLab (minister)no
Rosie CooperWest LancashireLab (minister)no
Neil CoyleBermondsey and Old SouthwarkLab (minister)no
John CryerLeyton and WansteadLab (minister)no
Judith CumminsBradford SouthLab (minister)no
Alex CunninghamStockton NorthLab (minister)no
Jim CunninghamCoventry SouthLabno
Wayne DavidCaerphillyLab (minister)no
Marsha de CordovaBatterseaLab (minister)no
Gloria De PieroAshfieldLab (minister)no
Thangam DebbonaireBristol WestLab (minister)no
Emma Dent CoadKensingtonLab (minister)no
Peter DowdBootleLab (minister)no
David DrewStroudLab (minister)no
Jack DromeyBirmingham, ErdingtonLab (minister)no
Maria EagleGarston and HalewoodLabno
Clive EffordElthamLab (minister)no
Louise EllmanLiverpool, RiversideLabno
Chris ElmoreOgmoreLab (minister)no
Chris EvansIslwynLab (minister)no
Paul FarrellyNewcastle-under-LymeLab (minister)no
Colleen FletcherCoventry North EastLab (minister)no
Caroline FlintDon ValleyLab (minister)no
Paul FlynnNewport WestLab (minister)no
Yvonne FovargueMakerfieldLab (minister)no
Vicky FoxcroftLewisham, DeptfordLab (minister)no
Gill FurnissSheffield, Brightside and HillsboroughLab (minister)no
Hugh GaffneyCoatbridge, Chryston and BellshillLab (minister)no
Mike GapesIlford Southwhilst Lab (front bench)no
Mary GlindonNorth TynesideLab (minister)no
Helen GoodmanBishop AucklandLab (minister)no
Kate GreenStretford and UrmstonLab (minister)no
Lilian GreenwoodNottingham SouthLab (minister)no
Nia GriffithLlanelliLab (minister)no
John GroganKeighleyLab (minister)no
Andrew GwynneDenton and ReddishLab (minister)no
Louise HaighSheffield, HeeleyLab (minister)no
Fabian HamiltonLeeds North EastLab (minister)no
Emma HardyKingston upon Hull West and HessleLab (minister)no
Carolyn HarrisSwansea EastLab (minister)no
John HealeyWentworth and DearneLab (minister)no
Mark HendrickPrestonLabno
Mike HillHartlepoolLab (minister)no
Meg HillierHackney South and ShoreditchLab (minister)no
George HowarthKnowsleyLab (minister)no
Rupa HuqEaling Central and ActonLab (minister)no
Imran HussainBradford EastLab (minister)no
Dan JarvisBarnsley CentralLab (minister)no
Darren JonesBristol North WestLab (minister)no
Gerald JonesMerthyr Tydfil and RhymneyLab (minister)no
Susan Elan JonesClwyd SouthLab (minister)no
Mike KaneWythenshawe and Sale EastLab (minister)no
Afzal KhanManchester, GortonLab (minister)no
Ged KillenRutherglen and Hamilton WestLab (minister)no
Stephen KinnockAberavonLab (minister)no
Peter KyleHoveLab (minister)no
Lesley LairdKirkcaldy and CowdenbeathLab (minister)no
Emma Lewell-BuckSouth ShieldsLab (minister)no
Rebecca Long-BaileySalford and EcclesLab (minister)no
Justin MaddersEllesmere Port and NestonLab (minister)no
Khalid MahmoodBirmingham, Perry BarrLab (minister)no
Gordon MarsdenBlackpool SouthLab (minister)no
Rachael MaskellYork CentralLab (minister)no
Alison McGovernWirral SouthLab (minister)no
Liz McInnesHeywood and MiddletonLab (minister)no
Catherine McKinnellNewcastle upon Tyne NorthLab (minister)no
Jim McMahonOldham West and RoytonLab (minister)no
Ian MearnsGatesheadLab (minister)no
Jessica MordenNewport EastLab (minister)no
Grahame MorrisEasingtonLab (minister)no
Ian MurrayEdinburgh SouthLab (minister)no
Alex NorrisNottingham NorthLabno
Melanie OnnGreat GrimsbyLab (minister)no
Stephanie PeacockBarnsley EastLab (minister)no
Matthew PennycookGreenwich and WoolwichLab (minister)no
Laura PidcockNorth West DurhamLab (minister)no
Jo PlattLeighLabno
Luke PollardPlymouth, Sutton and DevonportLab (minister)no
Faisal RashidWarrington SouthLab (minister)no
Angela RaynerAshton-under-LyneLab (minister)no
Ellie ReevesLewisham West and PengeLab (minister)no
Marie RimmerSt Helens South and WhistonLabno
Naseem ShahBradford WestLab (minister)no
Ruth SmeethStoke-on-Trent NorthLab (minister)no
Cat SmithLancaster and FleetwoodLab (minister)no
Eleanor SmithWolverhampton South WestLabno
Laura SmithCrewe and NantwichLab (minister)no
Nick SmithBlaenau GwentLab (minister)tellno
Karin SmythBristol SouthLabno
Gareth SnellStoke-on-Trent CentralLab (minister)no
John SpellarWarleyLab (minister)no
Wes StreetingIlford NorthLab (minister)no
Paul SweeneyGlasgow North EastLab (minister)no
Nick Thomas-SymondsTorfaenLab (minister)no
Emily ThornberryIslington South and FinsburyLab (minister)no
Stephen TimmsEast HamLab (minister)no
Stephen TwiggLiverpool, West DerbyLab (minister)no
Liz TwistBlaydonLab (minister)no
Chuka UmunnaStreathamwhilst Labno
Thelma WalkerColne ValleyLab (minister)no
Matt WesternWarwick and LeamingtonLab (minister)no
Martin WhitfieldEast LothianLab (minister)no
Chris WilliamsonDerby Northwhilst Lab (front bench)no
Phil WilsonSedgefieldLab (minister)no
Mohammad YasinBedfordLabno
Daniel ZeichnerCambridgeLab (minister)no
Kirsty BlackmanAberdeen NorthSNP (front bench)no
Joanna CherryEdinburgh South WestSNP (front bench)no
Patrick GradyGlasgow NorthSNP (front bench)no
David LindenGlasgow EastSNP (front bench)no
Stewart McDonaldGlasgow SouthSNP (front bench)no

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