 "UK election again? Petition calling for fresh poll receives nearly 1.8 million signatures")
An online petition calling for a fresh general election in the UK has received nearly 1.8 million signatures since its launch, along with a reaction from Tesla CEO Elon Musk who said, “wow” as he reposted about its success.
The petition was moved by a number of rightwing politicians, who have been sharing it on social media, calling on voters to sign and share it in a challenge to the current government led by Keir Starmer.
Why this petition & who started it?
In less than five months since the July 4 general election win, the Labour government has been facing widespread criticism and disapproval for its post-poll work and policies including the axing of the Winter Fuel Payment and a new inheritance tax for farmers.
The man behind the parliamentary petition is Michael Westwood. Expressing discontent with the Labour administration, he has called for “another general election”, arguing that the government has “gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.”
An owner of a small business, Westwood’s previous claim to fame is as the owner of UK’s ‘cheapest pub’ the Wagon and Horses, which sells pints for as little as £2.30. He created the petition on October 31, a day after the UK Budget was delivered.
Westwood believed that the voters of Britain feel “betrayed” by Labour, a report by Express quoted him as saying.
“The British public feel like they have been betrayed with the promises that were told in the lead to the election and then what has been delivered since - it looks nothing like what was promised," Westwood said.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“I think people have had enough, people have seen what’s happened over in America as well, and I think that’s had a knock-on effect that, actually, if people stand together and vote then we can make a change," he further said.
Westwood also revealed that he voted Conservative in the July 4 election, not out of an overwhelming love of the party but as a small businessman who believed that it would be better to elect “the devil you know”.
What’s next?
According to the UK Government and Parliament, the petition, as of 08:40 am (IST), has received 1,786,902 signatures.
As per the guidelines, the UK government responds to any petition, seeking for a change to the law or policies, after it receives more than 10,000 signatures.
If the petition exceeds the threshold of 100,000 signatures, it is considered for debate in the parliament.
As per reports, the debate is likely sometime early this week.
Musk’s reaction to UK petition calling for election
“WOW,” said Musk reacting to a post where an account shared an update regarding the signatures on the petition.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024
Last week, Musk had forecasted a decisive defeat for Labour in the upcoming general election while commenting on Starmer’s unfavourable approval ratings.
“All establishment parties in the UK will be crushed in the next election,” he said.
All establishment parties in the UK will get crushed in the next election https://t.co/8RuFR8yerL
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 21, 2024
Decreasing popularity of Labour
Recent polls indicate the Labour government has experienced significant setbacks within four months in office. Also, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s popularity has dwindled sharply.
According to an Ipsos poll, 49 per cent of the UK public views the Labour Party unfavourably which trails three points behind the Conservative Party. Meanwhile, two in five Britons think they are worse off since Labour came to power.
At least 56 per cent believe that Britain is heading in the wrong direction, while just 19 per cent feel things are on the right track.
With inputs from agencies.
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