The petition could hit 1,000,000 signatures in the coming weeks
An e-petition calling for an immediate general election has gathered pace in the wake of Liz Truss’ resignation, surpassing 700,000 signatures on Friday.
Listed on the government website this summer, the petition gained little attention until September’s disastrous ‘mini-budget’ pushed it past the 100,000 mark.
MPs were forced to discuss the issue as a result, holding a 90-minute debate in the Commons on Monday.
The surrounding publicity had launched it from 100,000 to 500,000 in just a few days, making it one of the most popular petitions ever to appear on parliament.uk.
Organiser Darrin Charlesworth said: ‘The chaos engulfing the UK government is unprecedented.
‘Over 40 ministers resigned leaving departments without leadership during cost of living, energy and climate crises.
‘War rages in Ukraine; the Northern Ireland Protocol has further damaged our relationship with Europe; recession looms; the UK itself may cease to exist as Scotland seeks independence.
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‘This is the greatest set of challenges we have seen in our lifetimes. Let the people decide who leads us through this turmoil.’
Hundreds of people have joined calls for an election as Liz Truss’ government crumbled
The motion was backed by Labour MPs and now has the full weight of the party and most major opposition groups.
Keir Starmer said the chaos at Downing Street showed the Tory party ‘no longer has a mandate to govern’.
He added: ‘After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos.
‘In the last few years, the Tories have set record-high taxation, trashed our institutions and created a cost-of-living crisis.
The next PM will currently be decided by Tory party members in a vote organised by Sir Graham Brady (Picture: AFP)
‘Now, they have crashed the economy so badly that people are facing £500 a month extra on their mortgages. The damage they have done will take years to fix.’
The government responded to the petition in September, saying: ‘The UK is a Parliamentary democracy and the Conservative Party remains the majority party.
‘The Prime Minister has pledged to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations.’
There is no obligation under parliamentary rules for the petition’s demands to be heard any further no matter how high the number of signatures gets.
Unless the government loses a confidence vote, the next prime minister will be elected by Tory party members.
Nominations will close on Monday afternoon and have been limited to candidates who get the backing of at least 100 colleagues, significantly narrowing the pool of contestants.
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Hundreds of people have joined calls to go back to the polls as Liz Truss’ government crumbled.