An online petition calling for another General Election in the UK has gained over two million signatures in less than 200 days after the last election. The petition creator, Michael Westwood, believes that the current Labour Government has not fulfilled the promises they made during the previous election. The government is required to respond to petitions with over 10,000 signatures, and Parliament may consider it for debate if it reaches over 100,000 signatures. Even high-profile figures like Elon Musk have shared the petition, expressing surprise at its popularity. However, Labour leader Keir Starmer does not seem concerned, stating that the focus should be on the decisions made daily rather than calls for a re-run of the election.
Metadata from the petition shows that while the majority of the over two million signatures are from the UK, there are over 15,000 signatures from outside the country. This includes signatories from locations like the Vatican City, Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, and Antarctica. British citizens living abroad are able to sign the petition, and some overseas individuals have shown support for the movement to call for another election. The petition went viral with international participation, with people encouraged to sign even if they were not residents of the UK. While signatories need a valid email address and postcode to sign, there are no identity checks in place to verify the authenticity of the signers.
The petition calling for another election has gained traction following controversy over the new government’s first Budget, which has faced criticism from various sectors, including farmers protesting changes to Inheritance Tax. Labour had outlined six key promises they aimed to deliver upon gaining power, covering areas such as economy, healthcare, borders, energy, crime, and education. However, some of these promises have faced delays, such as the major push for employment rights not being implemented until 2026, which has raised concerns among politicians and opposition parties. The Employment Minister has defended the government’s actions, stating that the Bill will go through the necessary legislative stages.
Labour has faced backlash during their time in office, with the most recent being the farmer’s protest in Westminster against changes announced in the Budget that would impact family farms worth over £1 million. Thousands of farmers voiced their dissent, referring to Labour leader Keir Starmer as the ‘farmer harmer’ during the protests. Despite the challenges and criticisms faced by the government, leaders like Keir Starmer remain focused on the daily decisions that need to be made rather than calls for a re-run of the election. As the petition for another General Election continues to gain support and attention both within the UK and internationally, the government and Parliament will need to address the growing demands from the public for a new electoral process to take place.
