By-elections to be called automatically when MPs defect to another party
The Parliament petitions site records 129,335 signatures for this petition, which closed on 4 March 2026. The Government responded on 9 February 2026. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 16 March 2026.
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.
By-elections to be called automatically when MPs defect to another party
When an MP decides they want to defect to another party a by-election should be automatically triggered to allow the constituents the opportunity have their democratic right to agree or not with their elected official.
Regardless of political views I believe you vote for both the individual candidates and their stance on issues and the more general direction and policies of the party they stand for. When an MP decides that they no longer wish to be a member of the party they stood for when you voted for them the electorate should have the opportunity to also change their mind by voting in a by-election.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 9 February 2026; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
There are no plans to make changes to the current constitutional arrangements, whereby voters elect individual candidates, and not the political party they represent.
The response in full:
It is an established constitutional principle that at UK General Elections, voters cast their vote for individual candidates, and not the political party they represent.
When a Member of Parliament (MP) decides to change their party affiliation, it is for the MP to decide whether to continue to sit in the House of Commons (as a representative of their new political party or as an independent MP) or to stand down from their seat to trigger a by-election and, if they wish, seek re-election.
There are no plans to make changes to the current arrangements.
Cabinet Office
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 Fareham and Waterlooville, with 12.2 signatures per 1,000 electors (937 in all).
127,805 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,530 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures | Electorate, July 2024 | Per 1,000 electors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fareham and Waterlooville | 937 | 76,947 | 12.2 |
| Newark | 834 | 79,783 | 10.5 |
| Romford | 603 | 72,928 | 8.3 |
| East Wiltshire | 545 | 74,139 | 7.4 |
| Ceredigion Preseli | 409 | 75,690 | 5.4 |
| Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe | 376 | 73,114 | 5.1 |
| Brighton Pavilion | 381 | 74,786 | 5.1 |
| Hamble Valley | 403 | 79,478 | 5.1 |
| Melksham and Devizes | 377 | 73,482 | 5.1 |
| Rushcliffe | 400 | 79,160 | 5.1 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 21,296 |
| South West | 14,406 |
| North West | 13,869 |
| East of England | 12,084 |
| Scotland | 11,224 |
| London | 10,741 |
| East Midlands | 10,367 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 10,312 |
| West Midlands | 8,905 |
| Wales | 7,617 |
| North East | 5,460 |
| Northern Ireland | 843 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 16 March 2026. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/737660.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
7ff02b862d3d0ee4… - 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.