Ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship
This petition gathered 110,519 signatures between 12 November 2024 and 12 May 2025, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 18 December 2024. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 7 July 2025.
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.
Ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship
Advertisements encourage the use of products and sponsorship promotes a positive reputation & creates a social licence of trust & acceptability. In 2003 a ban on all tobacco advertising was introduced and has arguably worked. I believe continued fossil fuel usage will kill more people than smoking.
Fossil fuel advertising has a history of ‘greenwashing’ and a recent report identifies £4bn+ spent by FF companies on 205 active sports sponsorship deals. There is plenty of evidence that FF must be rapidly phased out to mitigate the worst impacts of climate breakdown. I think that preventing the companies’ efforts to enhance their social capital and normalise their activities would proactively help address the climate crisis and mitigate future harm to human health.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 18 December 2024; the petitions site lists the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as responsible. Its summary:
The government is committed to reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. There are currently no plans to restrict fossil fuel advertising.
The response in full:
The government is committed to reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. [For example, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is assessing the potential for voluntary ecolabels. Ecolabels provide information on the carbon intensity and environmental impact of products and services, to help inform consumers’ purchasing decisions.]
The Committees of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority regulate the content and targeting of advertising in the UK, and the advertising codes include rules on environmental claims. The ASA system operates independently of the government. The government does not currently have any plans to restrict fossil fuel advertising.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies. Measured against each constituency's electorate at the 2024 general election, the most came from Bristol Central, with 9.8 signatures per 1,000 electors (615 in all).
109,044 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,475 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Central | 615 | 62,735 | 9.8 |
| Brighton Pavilion | 704 | 74,786 | 9.4 |
| Cambridge | 577 | 70,321 | 8.2 |
| South Devon | 529 | 72,261 | 7.3 |
| Stroud | 568 | 77,905 | 7.3 |
| Lewes | 548 | 76,166 | 7.2 |
| Central Devon | 534 | 75,385 | 7.1 |
| Bath | 455 | 69,662 | 6.5 |
| Ceredigion Preseli | 492 | 75,690 | 6.5 |
| St Ives | 443 | 69,978 | 6.3 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 19,932 |
| South West | 16,827 |
| London | 12,435 |
| East of England | 11,193 |
| North West | 8,917 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 7,767 |
| West Midlands | 7,184 |
| East Midlands | 7,157 |
| Scotland | 6,932 |
| Wales | 5,748 |
| North East | 3,112 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,002 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 7 July 2025. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700024.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
8be907d3b58250c6… - 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.