Parliament, in plain words

The short version of every term you will see on this site.

Vote (division)

When MPs are asked to decide something, they walk through one of two doors: one for “yes”, one for “no”, and each name is recorded. Parliament calls this a division.

Aye and No

Aye means “yes, I agree”. No means “no, I do not”. We show these as For and Against.

Bill

A proposed new law. A bill goes through several votes before it becomes law.

Second reading

The first big vote on a bill. MPs are voting on its main idea, not the small print.

Report stage and amendments

MPs vote on detailed changes (amendments or new clauses) to a bill. Most proposed changes are rejected.

Third reading

The final vote on a bill in the Commons.

Closure motion

A vote to stop debating and move to a decision.

Opposition day

A day when the parties that are not in government choose what Parliament debates.

Budget resolution

A vote on one tax change announced in the Budget.

Draft regulations or order

New rules made under an existing law. MPs vote on whether to approve them.

Party whip

Each party tells its MPs how to vote. These instructions are called the whip.

Party-instructed vote

A vote where parties tell their MPs how to vote. We only judge MPs on these.

Free vote

A vote where parties do not tell MPs what to do, so MPs choose for themselves. We leave these out of the loyalty and rebellion figures.

Voted against their party (a rebellion)

An MP voted the opposite way to most MPs in their own party. It is a fact about the record, not a judgement.

Votes with party

The share of party-instructed votes where an MP voted the same way as most of their party.

Government and opposition

The government is the party that runs the country. All the other parties are the opposition.

Constituency

The area an MP represents. Everyone lives in exactly one.

The Commons and the Lords

Parliament has two parts. The House of Commons is the elected one, with 650 MPs. This site covers Commons votes only.

Hansard

The official written record of what is said in Parliament.

Borrowing

When the government spends more than it collects in a year, it borrows the difference. The gap in a single year is called borrowing (or the deficit).

National debt

All the borrowing added up over many years, minus what has been paid back. The government pays interest on it every year.

Cash terms

Money figures as they were at the time, without adjusting for rising prices. A pound in 2005 bought more than a pound today.

Median

The middle value. If you line everyone up from lowest to highest, the median is the person in the middle. Half are above it and half below.

Claimant count

The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit while looking for work). It is a measure of people out of work, though not the only one.

Waiting list (hospital treatment)

The number of treatments waiting to begin after a referral. Someone waiting for two treatments is counted twice.