Motion to Sit in Private — 22 Mar 2019 at 09:34

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 constituency

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
Leo DochertyAldershotCon (front bench)no
Wendy MortonAldridge-BrownhillsCon (front bench)no
Mark TamiAlyn and DeesideLab (minister)no
Kirstene HairAngusCon (front bench)no
Marsha de CordovaBatterseaLab (minister)no
Graham StuartBeverley and HoldernessCon (front bench)no
Richard BurdenBirmingham, NorthfieldLab (minister)no
Liz TwistBlaydonLab (minister)no
Nick GibbBognor Regis and LittlehamptonCon (front bench)no
Dennis SkinnerBolsoverLabno
Alex BurghartBrentwood and OngarConno
Thangam DebbonaireBristol WestLab (minister)tellno
Julie CooperBurnleyLab (minister)no
Daniel ZeichnerCambridgeLab (minister)no
Amanda MillingCannock ChaseCon (front bench)no
Jo StevensCardiff CentralLab (minister)no
Anna McMorrinCardiff NorthLab (minister)no
Rebecca HarrisCastle PointCon (front bench)no
Edward ArgarCharnwoodCon (front bench)no
Vicky FordChelmsfordCon (front bench)no
Greg HandsChelsea and FulhamConno
Michelle DonelanChippenhamCon (front bench)no
Christopher ChopeChristchurchCon (front bench)no
Chris MathesonCity of ChesterLab (minister)no
Hugh GaffneyCoatbridge, Chryston and BellshillLab (minister)no
Jim CunninghamCoventry SouthLabno
David HansonDelynLab (minister)no
Claire PerryDevizesCon (front bench)no
Mims DaviesEastleighCon (front bench)no
Clive EffordElthamLab (minister)no
Bambos CharalambousEnfield, SouthgateLab (minister)no
Maggie ThroupErewashContellaye
Jack LoprestiFilton and Bradley StokeCon (front bench)no
Mike FreerFinchley and Golders GreenCon (front bench)no
Maria EagleGarston and HalewoodLabno
Ian MearnsGatesheadLab (minister)no
Paul SweeneyGlasgow North EastLab (minister)no
Matthew PennycookGreenwich and WoolwichLab (minister)no
Tulip SiddiqHampstead and KilburnLab (minister)no
Neil O'BrienHarboroughConno
John HowellHenleyCon (front bench)no
Philip HolloboneKetteringCon (front bench)no
Cat SmithLancaster and FleetwoodLab (minister)no
Hilary BennLeeds CentralLab (minister)no
Vicky FoxcroftLewisham, DeptfordLab (minister)no
Victoria AtkinsLouth and HorncastleCon (front bench)no
David RutleyMacclesfieldCon (front bench)no
Jeff SmithManchester, WithingtonLab (minister)no
Gerald JonesMerthyr Tydfil and RhymneyLab (minister)no
Pauline LathamMid DerbyshireCon (front bench)no
Danielle RowleyMidlothianLab (minister)no
Mark LancasterMilton Keynes NorthCon (front bench)no
Glyn DaviesMontgomeryshireConno
Chi OnwurahNewcastle upon Tyne CentralLab (minister)no
Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne EastLab (minister)no
Alistair BurtNorth East Bedfordshirewhilst Con (front bench)no
Justin TomlinsonNorth SwindonCon (front bench)no
Roger GaleNorth ThanetCon (front bench)no
Chloe SmithNorwich NorthCon (front bench)no
Alex NorrisNottingham NorthLab (minister)no
Chris ElmoreOgmoreLab (minister)tellno
Jim McMahonOldham West and RoytonLab (minister)no
Anneliese DoddsOxford EastLab (minister)no
Mark FrancoisRayleigh and WickfordCon (front bench)no
Matt RoddaReading EastLab (minister)no
Rachel MacleanRedditchContellaye
Chris BryantRhonddaLab (minister)no
Nigel EvansRibble ValleyCon (front bench)no
Rishi SunakRichmond (Yorks)Con (front bench)no
John GlenSalisburyCon (front bench)no
Bill EstersonSefton CentralLab (minister)no
Philip DaviesShipleyCon (front bench)no
Julian SmithSkipton and RiponCon (front bench)no
Julian KnightSolihullCon (front bench)no
Paul WilliamsStockton SouthLab (minister)no
Gareth SnellStoke-on-Trent CentralLab (minister)no
Ruth SmeethStoke-on-Trent NorthLab (minister)no
Kate GreenStretford and UrmstonLab (minister)no
Christopher PincherTamworthCon (front bench)no
Alan CampbellTynemouthLab (minister)no
Valerie VazWalsall SouthLab (minister)no
Stella CreasyWalthamstowLabno
Matt WesternWarwick and LeamingtonLab (minister)no
Nusrat GhaniWealdenCon (front bench)no
John PenroseWeston-Super-MareCon (front bench)no
Stephen HammondWimbledonwhilst Con (front bench)no
Margaret GreenwoodWirral WestLab (minister)no
Mike KaneWythenshawe and Sale EastLab (minister)no

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