Election petition smashes past 350,000 signatures in record time | Politics | News

A petition demanding a general election has smashed through the 300,000 barrier, as thousands sign it every minute.

The ‘call a general election’ petition was started four days ago, but began picking up enormous traction last night as the link began spreading on social media.

It has now hit 350,000 signatories, but is gaining hundreds ever few seconds according to the live ticker on the parliament website.

It’s now being branded Britain’s fastest ever growing petition.

Reform UK MPs are calling on voters to sign it to demonstrate their anger at Keir Starmer’s government.

Deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Let’s make this the biggest petition ever in the UK – sign, share, and spread the word.”

Rupert Lowe MP added: “Register your discontent, register your anger, register your disgust with this Labour Government.”

“Send Starmer a message. Sign, share, and share again.”

Other political heavyweights are also spreading the petition, with Nadine Dorries observing just 11 hours ago that it had hit 100,000 signatures “pretty quick”.

Former Tory MP Mark Jenkinson said: “It looks like we’re heading for a parliamentary debate on having a general election and ‘the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election’.”

Olympics medalist Sharron Davies MBE also said she had signed it, and Britain’s strictest headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh observed: “Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if Parliament had to debate this?”

The Government is required to respond to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures.

Parliament will consider any petition that gets over 100,000 signatures for a debate, however this isn’t guaranteed.

A map showing where support for the petition is strongest reveals that the top 3 constituencies backing it are Brentwood and Ongar, North Northumberland and Newark, which is represented by Robert Jenrick.

Support is particularly strong in Essex, where Reform’s support tends to be highest, and Lincolnshire.

While Birmingham and London constituencies have the lowest share of voters backing the call.

305 members of Keir Starmer’s own Holborn and St Pancras constituency have signed it.

While the call for a general election is already one of the most supported petitions in parliament’s history, it has some way to go before it gets the number one spot, as Richard Tice is hoping for.

A petition in 2016 calling for the EU referendum to require a super majority in order to enact Brexit saw over 4 million backers.

While a petition in 2017 demanding that Donald Trump not be given a state visit attracted 1.8 million supporters.