Voting summaries
For period: All time
MPs have many roles, but one of the most important is that they make decisions. These decisions shape the laws that govern us, and can affect every aspect of how we live our lives.
One of the ways MPs make decisions is by voting.
On TheyWorkForYou, we create voting summaries that group a set of decisions together, show how an MP has generally voted on a set of related votes, and if they differ from their party.
You can see these groups, randomly ordered, below.
You can read more about how this works, the kinds of votes we include, how we compare MPs to parties, and why we think this is important.
These summaries are created by the team at TheyWorkForYou. We are independent of Parliament and receive no public funding for this work.
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Gordon Birtwistle’s voting in Parliament
Gordon Birtwistle was previously a Liberal Democrat MP, and on the vast majority of issues would have followed instructions from their party and voted the same way as Liberal Democrat MPs.
Where MPs differ is either because they have made a decision not to follow the party whip (rebelling), or where they have differed from the majority of their colleagues in a free vote.
Gordon Birtwistle sometimes differs from their party colleagues, such as:
How Gordon Birtwistle voted on Welfare, Benefits and Pensions #
For votes held while they were in office:
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Almost always voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits Show votes
16 votes for, 2 absences, between 2010 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Generally voted for reducing housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms (which Labour describe as the "bedroom tax") Show votes
4 votes for, 2 absences, between 2011 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs generally voted for.
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Consistently voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability Show votes
6 votes against, 1 absence, between 2011 and 2012. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted against.
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Consistently voted against raising welfare benefits at least in line with prices Show votes
5 votes against, in 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted against.
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Consistently voted for making local councils responsible for helping those in financial need afford their council tax and reducing the amount spent on such support Show votes
4 votes for, in 2012. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Consistently voted against increasing the state pension age for women more slowly Show votes
3 votes against, in 2011. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted against.
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Consistently voted for increasing the state pension age Show votes
2 votes for, in 2011. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
Last updated: 18 May 2022.
Learn more about our voting records and what they mean.
How Gordon Birtwistle voted on Taxation and Employment #
For votes held while they were in office:
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Consistently voted for encouraging occupational pensions Show votes
2 votes for, between 2010 and 2011. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Consistently voted for increasing the rate of VAT Show votes
7 votes for, 1 absence, between 2010 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Generally voted for raising the threshold at which people start to pay income tax Show votes
11 votes for, 7 absences, between 2011 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted against increasing the tax rate applied to income over £150,000 Show votes
2 votes against, between 2012 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted against.
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Generally voted for lower taxes on fuel for motor vehicles Show votes
4 votes for, 2 absences, between 2010 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Almost always voted for higher taxes on alcoholic drinks Show votes
5 votes for, 2 absences, between 2010 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted for higher taxes on plane tickets Show votes
8 votes for, 1 absence, between 2012 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Generally voted against an annual tax on the value of expensive homes (popularly known as a mansion tax) Show votes
1 vote against, 1 absence, in 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted against.
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Consistently voted for allowing employees to exchange some employment rights for shares in the company they work for Show votes
4 votes for, 1 absence, between 2012 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Generally voted for higher taxes on banks Show votes
2 votes for, 4 absences, between 2011 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted for increasing capital gains tax Show votes
1 vote for, between 2010 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
Last updated: 3 March 2025.
Learn more about our voting records and what they mean.
For votes held while they were in office:
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Voted for a wholly elected House of Lords Show votes
1 vote for, between 2011 and 2012. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Voted for removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords Show votes
1 vote for, between 2011 and 2012. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Consistently voted against a more proportional system for electing MPs Show votes
1 vote against, in 2010. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted against.
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Almost always voted for an equal number of electors per parliamentary constituency Show votes
6 votes for, 1 vote against, between 2010 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs generally voted for.
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Voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 50%) fewer MPs in the House of Commons Show votes
1 vote for, 1 vote against, between 2010 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 47%).
Absences for this policy may be affected COVID-19 restrictions.
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Consistently voted for reducing central government funding of local government Show votes
3 votes for, between 2010 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Consistently voted for greater restrictions on campaigning by third parties, such as charities, during elections Show votes
11 votes for, between 2013 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted for local councils keeping money raised from taxes on business premises in their areas Show votes
4 votes for, between 2012 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 42%) more powers for local councils Show votes
5 votes for, 7 votes against, 5 absences, between 2010 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 41%).
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Consistently voted for fixed periods between parliamentary elections Show votes
3 votes for, between 2010 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Generally voted against transferring more powers to the Senedd/Welsh Parliament Show votes
3 votes against, 6 absences, between 2011 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs generally voted against.
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Almost always voted against transferring more powers to the Scottish Parliament Show votes
10 votes against, 2 absences, between 2011 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted against.
Last updated: 3 December 2024.
Learn more about our voting records and what they mean.
How Gordon Birtwistle voted on Environmental Issues #
For votes held while they were in office:
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Tended to vote for (alignment score: 67%) measures to prevent climate change Show votes
4 votes for, 2 votes against, 2 absences, between 2011 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 55%).
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Generally voted for lower taxes on fuel for motor vehicles Show votes
4 votes for, 2 absences, between 2010 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted for higher taxes on plane tickets Show votes
8 votes for, 1 absence, between 2012 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 50%) financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods Show votes
1 vote for, 1 vote against, 1 absence, between 2011 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs tended to vote for (alignment score: 63%).
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Generally voted for new high speed rail infrastructure Show votes
3 votes for, 2 absences, between 2013 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Voted for improving environmental water quality Show votes
1 vote for, in 2012. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
Last updated: 2 April 2025.
Learn more about our voting records and what they mean.
How Gordon Birtwistle voted on Miscellaneous Topics #
For votes held while they were in office:
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Generally voted against greater regulation of gambling Show votes
2 votes against, 2 absences, between 2011 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted against.
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Generally voted for the privatisation of Royal Mail Show votes
1 vote for, 1 absence, between 2010 and 2011. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs consistently voted for.
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Generally voted for capping civil service redundancy payments Show votes
2 votes for, 3 absences, in 2010. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Almost always voted for the policies included in the 2010 Conservative - Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement Show votes
46 votes for, 3 votes against, 9 absences, between 2010 and 2015. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted against requiring pub companies to offer pub landlords rent-only leases Show votes
1 vote against, between 2013 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs voted a mixture of for and against (alignment score: 52%).
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Consistently voted for restricting the scope of legal aid Show votes
8 votes for, 1 absence, between 2011 and 2014. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs generally voted for.
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Generally voted for allowing national security sensitive evidence to be put before courts in secret sessions Show votes
3 votes for, 3 absences, between 2012 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted for limits on success fees paid to lawyers in no-win no fee cases Show votes
5 votes for, 1 absence, between 2011 and 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
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Consistently voted for a statutory register of lobbyists Show votes
3 votes for, in 2013. Comparable Liberal Democrat MPs almost always voted for.
Last updated: 26 April 2022.
Learn more about our voting records and what they mean.
As a result of COVID-19, some MPs were less able to vote in Parliament in certain periods, and this will be reflected by absences in their voting record.
- 11th May to 2nd June 2020
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All MPs could vote remotely through an online voting tool. Votes cast remotely are shown as normal on the TheyWorkForYou voting record.
- 2nd to 9th June 2020
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The option of online voting was removed, and a number of MPs may have been unable to vote because they were not physically able to attend.
- 10th June 2020 onwards
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The requirements on proxy voting were relaxed, allowing MPs to designate another MP to cast a vote on their behalf.
If an MP votes by proxy, it is effectively exactly the same as if they cast the vote in person and it shows up on their TheyWorkForYou voting record.
MPs are not required to designate a proxy, and may instead pair with an opposing MP to miss a vote. Parliament does not record when two MPs have come to a pairing arrangement, so on TheyWorkForYou, they will both appear to have been absent for the vote.
See more detail on votes during the COVID-19 period here.
