text_body: --- DIVISION TITLE ---
  
  Fixed Term Parliaments Bill - Clause 2 - Immediate General Election Following Vote of No-Confidence
  
  --- MOTION EFFECT ---
  
  
  
  @ MP voted no against an immediate general election following a vote of no confidence in the Government; preferring instead to allow 14 days to see if a Government can secure the confidence of MPs. 
  @ MP voted aye for an immediate general election following a vote of no confidence in the Government; and against allowing 14 days to see if a Government can secure the confidence of MPs. 
  
  The majority of MPs voted against an immediate general election following a vote of no confidence in the Government; preferring instead to allow 14 days to see if a Government can secure the confidence of MPs. 
  
  MPs were considering the Fixed Term Parliaments Bill[1]. The amendment rejected in this vote was[2]:
  
  :Amendment 5: in page 2, line 11, leave out from âGovernmentâ to end of line 14.
  
  This would have resulted in deletion of part (b) of subclause (2) of the Bill as it stood at the time of the vote[3]. Subclause 2 stated:
  
  :An early parliamentary general election is also to take place if the Speaker of the House of Commons issues a certificate certifying thatâ
  	
  :(a) on a specified day the House passed a motion of no confidence in Her Majestyâs Government (as then constituted), and
  :(b)  the period of 14 days after the specified day has ended without the House passing any motion expressing confidence in any Government of Her Majesty.
  :...
  
  
  During the debate Mark Harper MP explained his opposition to the amendment saying[4]:
  
  :At the moment, if a general election has an unclear outcome, the Prime Minister is able to test his support in the House of Commons. If the House then signalled that it did not have confidence in that Government, that Prime Minister would go and a new one could be appointed. Amendment 5 would insist that another general election took place, and if the result of that general election was unclear, we could end up having a succession of general elections. Amendment 5 would force such elections to be held.
  
  ==
  
  * [1] [http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/fixedtermparliaments.html Fixed Term Parliament's Bill (now an act) page on Parliament's website] 
  * [2] [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmbills/064/amend/pbc0640112m.1233-1239.html Amendment sheet for consideration of the Fixed Term Parliaments Bill on 1 December 2010]
  * [3] [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmbills/064/11064.1-7.html#Extraordinary%20elections%20reset%20version Clause 2 of the Fixed Term Parliaments Bill at the time of the vote]
  * [4] [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-12-01b.825.3#g830.0 Mark Harper MP, House of Commons, 1 December 2010]
  
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  (put thoughts and notes for other researchers here)
  