Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 21 June 1939.
Mr R.A. Butler
, Saffron Walden
A few claims, arising mainly out of the requisitioning of British property, such as motor cars, were presented locally at the time to the authorities on both sides, The great Majority of claims, as I informed the hon. Member on 7th June, are now being filed and examined by the Foreign Office; and those found valid will be presented to the Spanish Government as soon as possible.
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.
