Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 13 March 1929.
Mr Robert Morrison
, Tottenham North
May I ask whether the Government has taken into consideration the fact that an overwhelming Majority of all parties in this House are anxious to see this Bill passed? It has passed the Second Reading and the Committee stage, and probably an hour after eleven o'clock at night would be sufficient?
The Second Reading is the most important stage for a Bill. It is when the main purpose of a Bill is discussed and voted on. If the Bill passes it moves on to the Committee Stage. Further information can be obtained from factsheet L1 on the UK Parliament website.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
