Huge petition for a General Election nears massive milestone – but debate is REJECTED

An online petition asking for a new General Election has been turned down for a debate, even though a lot of people have signed it.

The petition, created by Robert JF Barnes, is getting very close to a major milestone. It has already attracted nearly 200,000 supporters, with the number standing at 198,922 signatures at the time it was written about. Many of the people who signed it say they are unhappy with how the country is being run.

In the petition, the organisers explained that Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister after the General Election on July 4, 2024. However, they claim that since taking office, his government has introduced policies that were never mentioned in Labour’s election promises. Because of this, they feel they were misled and that things have become less clear since he came into power.

They also raised concerns about issues like immigration, especially small boats crossing the Channel, saying they believe the government has failed to properly deal with it. The petition further claims that some groups, including pensioners and farmers, have been negatively affected by decisions that were not part of the original plan presented to voters.

The message from the petition is very direct. It argues that the situation cannot continue as it is and calls for Parliament to be dissolved so that a new General Election can take place as soon as possible.

The government responded to this on January 21 through the Cabinet Office. In its reply, it explained that the government stays in power as long as it has the support, or confidence, of the House of Commons, whose members are elected by the public. It also made clear that there are currently no plans to change how this system works.

The response added that the Prime Minister has the authority to call a General Election at a time of their choosing within a five-year period, by asking the monarch to dissolve Parliament. It stressed that the current government was elected with a clear promise to bring change and said it is still focused on delivering that.

The government went on to highlight what it sees as its achievements so far. It said it has brought stability back to government and secured £340 billion in investment. It also claimed that wages have grown more in its first year than they did over the previous ten years under the last government.

Other points mentioned include reducing NHS waiting lists by 225,000, introducing thousands of free breakfast clubs for children, and increasing the National Minimum Wage. It also confirmed that its plan to introduce an Employment Rights Act has now been made law.

According to the government, people should start to feel real improvements in their daily lives. It said families will see £150 taken off their energy bills this year, train fares will stay frozen for the first time in 30 years, and prescription charges for the NHS will be capped at under £10.

Despite the strong public support for the petition, Parliament’s Petitions Committee decided that a debate on the issue is not necessary. The committee acknowledged that many people had signed it but explained that the topic had already been discussed recently by MPs in a similar petitions debate.