The UK parliament will debate an online petition calling for a re-run of the July 2022 general election after it surpassed 2.7 million signatures. Schedule in Westminster Hall, a secondary debating chamber, the petition accuses the Labour Party of reneging on its pre-election promises. The debate will take place on January 6th, however, it will not lead to another election.
Although the debate will not result in an election, it was used by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch during Prime Minister’s Questions to taunt Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer. Badenoch claimed that it showed “two million people asking him to go,” after they discussed the government’s tax rises, which were not included in Labour’s election manifesto.
The petition was started by a West Midlands publican who voted Conservative at July’s election, and since its creation, it has been promoted by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Those signing online petitions on Parliament’s website are asked to tick a box indicating their British citizenship or UK residency and then provide a postcode.
The Petitions Committee will oversee the parliamentary debate, which will be opened by Chair Jamie Stone, the Lib Dem MP of the committee. Though the government will reply, there won’t be a vote at the end of the conversation. Despite this, the petition allowed Badenoch to use it as an opportunity to challenge the government during the Prime Minister’s Questions
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