A record of a vote taken by members of Parliament. It is used to ratify legislation and confirm appointments and other official decisions of the Government. It is normally printed in full and, when corrected, is incorporated into the Minutes of Proceedings and committee Evidence.
A parliamentary system of voting in which people choose their favourite candidate(s) by ranking them in order of preference. The simplest form is first past the post, where seats in Parliament closely reflect votes cast. Other systems are more proportional and give parties a better link to their voters, such as the Single Transferable Vote (SNTV) or the Alternative Vote Plus. The ‘threshold’ that must be passed to win a seat varies from system to system, but most have it at least slightly above the 50% mark.
The process by which the House of Commons decides whether a bill should be voted on and, if so, how it should be amended. It consists of a series of stages and is initiated by a motion.
Any place or territorial area entitled to return a member of the House of Commons. During debates, members are identified not by their names but by the name of their electoral district.
The political party that wins the most seats at a general election becomes the UK Government. The leader of the winning party is known as the Prime Minister and chooses who takes other senior positions in the Government, such as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary.