Meet the small business owner behind the viral election petition | Politics | News

The man behind the viral petition demanding an immediate General Election has told the Express that he feels lied to by the Labour Party.

Michael Westwood is the man behind the parliamentary petition that is causing a storm on social media.

Shared by Elon Musk and surging past 570,000 signatures, the petition is being used by a swathe of the British public to express their fury at Keir Starmer.

Speaking to the Express this lunchtime, Mr Westwood joked he feels slightly dazed by the furore caused by his petition, and said while he hoped it would pick up steam he never expected it to become as popular as it has.

A small business owner, Mr Westwood’s previous claim to fame is as the owner of Britain’s ‘cheapest pub’ the Wagon and Horses, which sells pints for as little as £2.30.

He revealed: “Not in my wildest dreams did I think this was going to take off like it has”.

Asked why he thinks the demand for a general election is resonating as much as it has, Mr Westwood said he believes voters feel “betrayed” by Labour.

He explained: “The British public feel like they have been betrayed with the promises that were told in the lead to the election and then what has been delivered since – it looks nothing like what was promised.

“I think people have had enough, people have seen what’s happened over in America as well, and I think that’s had a knock on effect that, actually, if people stand together and vote then we can make a change.”

Mr Westwood revealed that he voted Conservative at the election, not out of an overwhelming love of the party but as a small businessman who thought it better to elected “the devil you know”.

He said his fury was sparked in particular by Rachel Reeves’ budget, which despite promising 1p off a pint will actually hike booze costs for pub punters thanks to the rise in minimum wage and hikes to National Insurance.

He blasted: “It’s about fighting back against all the increases in taxes and the cost of inflation.

“As a small business we’ve got to fight back and try and help the people around us and the community.”

Mr Westwood said that while he’s well-opinionated, he’s never ventured into politics before.

He also shies away from social media, revealing that after he launched the petition he merely sent the link to some friends via WhatsApp.

However he’s now receiving regular updates from confidants reporting back just how widespread the petition has become.

Asked if there was any one thing Labour has done since coming to power he’d rank as the worst of all, Mr Westwood said it is a “combination” of issues.

The petition will now require a formal response from the Government, and may even get debated in parliament.