Call an immediate general election
288,042 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 4 August 2023; it closed on 4 February 2024. The Government responded on 18 October 2023. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 29 January 2024.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Call an immediate general election
The Prime Minister should call an immediate general election to allow the British public to have their say on how we are governed, we should not be made to wait until January 2025
Consistent opinion polling has shown the British public have lost confidence in the current government. The NHS is in crisis, the asylum system is broken, there are delays at the ports, and institutions are failing. The British people should be given a say on what to do next.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 18 October 2023; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
Britain faces long-term challenges that need us to put the national interest first. Rishi Sunak and this Government are doing just that and it would be wrong to call an early general election now.
The response in full:
The impact of Covid and the war in Ukraine have created huge long-term challenges for Britain that require decisive action.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is making the hard but necessary long-term decisions for the future of the UK, unlike the politicians focused on the short-term and lacking the backbone to make the big changes Britain needs.
In January, the Prime Minister set out his top five priorities for 2023 to building a better, more secure, more prosperous future:
● Halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security.
● Grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country.
● Make sure our national debt is falling so that we can secure the future of public services.
● Cut NHS waiting lists so people will get the care they need more quickly.
● Pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed.
The Government is putting national interest over self-interest, and is doing what is right, not what is easy.
The process for calling the next general election is clearly set out under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022. It would not be right for the country to call an early disruptive general election now.
Cabinet Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,392, came from Manchester Central.
284,829 of the signatures were from the UK and 3,213 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Manchester Central | 1,392 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 1,338 |
| Bristol West | 1,231 |
| Salford and Eccles | 1,201 |
| Liverpool, Riverside | 976 |
| Hove | 966 |
| Sheffield Central | 912 |
| Hornsey and Wood Green | 899 |
| Manchester, Withington | 894 |
| Bermondsey and Old Southwark | 873 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 41,778 |
| North West | 37,613 |
| London | 35,702 |
| South West | 27,380 |
| East of England | 25,553 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 24,065 |
| Scotland | 21,870 |
| West Midlands | 20,409 |
| East Midlands | 19,317 |
| Wales | 14,649 |
| North East | 11,951 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,207 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 29 January 2024. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/641904.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
b20e1f87a6a5b052… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.