UK: Petition Demanding New General Election Crosses 2M Signatures

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • A petition calling for a general election rerun in the UK launched by pub owner Michael Westwood, who claims that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's Government has "gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election" has reached over 2M signatures.[1][2]
  • According to the UK Government guidelines, any petition that asks for a change to the law or policies gets a response from the government after 10K signatures. After petitions cross the 100K threshold, they could be considered for debate in the parliament.[3][4]
  • Labour has committed to policies that have faced criticism including the cutting of winter fuel payments, an increase in employers' national insurance, applying VAT (value-added tax) to private schools, and adding inheritance tax to farms.[5]
  • In order for a general election to take place against a prime minister's will, the prime minister must lose a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons. Unless this occurs, it is up to the prime minister to decide when to call an election within Parliament's five-year term.[6][7]
  • Labour won the 2024 General Election in July, receiving a 174-seat majority from 34% of the popular vote. However, since the end of July YouGov shows public disapproval of Starmer's Government has increased from 32% to 56%.[8][9]

Sources: [1]Daily Mail, [2]LBC, [3]BBC News, [4]GB News, [5]Sky News, [6]Commons Library, [7]Institute for Government, [8]Yougov and [9]Verity.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Huffington Post and The New Statesman. Labour inherited a dire financial legacy from the Conservatives that, despite the tantrums of many right-wing critics, will take more than five months to repair. While they have certainly faced headwinds since entering power, Starmer's Government was elected with an overwhelming mandate to deliver change and has been forced to make difficult decisions that are important to the UK's future success.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Express and The Spectator (UK). The Labour government's actions looked nothing like what was promised in the manifesto. The country has been worse off since Starmer came to power, and it's no wonder that his personal popularity has nosedived alongside Labour's polling numbers. The people of Britain have had enough already, and — although unlikely to end in a general election — it feels as if Starmer is already against the clock to turn his fortunes around.

Predictions