Petition calling for ‘immediate’ general election approaches one million signatures

A petition calling for an ‘immediate’ general election is on track to hit one million signatures in the wake of Liz Truss’s resignation.

The petition calls for an ‘immediate general election to end the chaos of the current government’ so that ‘the people can decide who should lead us through the unprecedented crises threatening the UK’.

It was actually listed on the government’s website over the summer, but didn’t gain traction until last month when Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget pushed it over the 100,000 mark.

MPs were subsequently forced to discuss the topic in a ninety-minute-long debate in parliament on Monday, though no government members turned up to speak for the petitioners.

But now, the petition is on track to surpass the one million mark, with it currently having a grand total of 751,529 signatures at the time of writing – although that number is rapidly rising. 

Considering the short timeframe in which the signatures shot up, this makes it one of the most popular petitions ever to appear on parliament.uk.

Read More: Here’s who could replace Liz Truss as prime minister

The 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.

Number 10 / Flickr

“This is the greatest set of challenges we have seen in our lifetimes. Let the people decide who leads us through this turmoil.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has backed the petition, with him saying the chaos at Downing Street showed the Tory party ‘no longer has a mandate to govern’.

Starmer said in the aftermath of Truss’s historic resignation: “After twelve 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 Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people.”

He added: “We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election – now.”