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United Kingdom Parliament petitions website
Screenshot of the UK Parliament petitions website on 1 November 2022
Available inEnglish
URLwww.parliament.uk/get-involved/sign-a-petition/

The UK Parliament petitions website (e-petitions) allows members of the public to create and support petitions for consideration by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Although the UK Parliament's Petitions Committee considers all petitions which receive 100,000 signatures or more, there is no automatic parliamentary debate of those that pass this threshold. The Government will respond to all petitions with more than 10,000 signatures.

Process

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Once a petition has been published on the website, it will be open to signatures for six months.[1]

  • At 10,000 signatures, the government will formally respond.
  • At 100,000 signatures, the request will be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament.

Hosting and history of the website

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The rights of petitioners and the power of the House of Commons to deal with petitions were expressed in resolutions of the Commons in 1669. The number of petitions being presented each year fell considerably in the twentieth century. In the early 2000s, both the Government and the House of Commons began to explore ways for the public to start and sign petitions electronically.[2]

The original e-petitions process was created by Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in November 2006 and hosted on the Downing Street website. Petitions were directed to government departments rather than MPs. Within the first six months, 2,860 active petitions were created and one received over one million signatures.[3][4][5] The process was suspended prior to the 2010 general election.[6]

The e-petitions were relaunched by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition government in July 2011. Petitions backed by 100,000 signatures would now be considered for debate in Parliament and the website was moved to Directgov.[6] In the following year, a total of 36,000 petitions were submitted, attracting 6.4 million signatures.[7] After the closure of the Directgov website, the e-petitions were moved to the new GOV.UK website in October 2012. Just over 30 petitions were debated in Parliament over four years. By 2012, research by the Hansard Society and discussions in Parliament proposed: giving more time for petitions to be debated by MPs outside the main Commons chamber, the petitions site being taken over by Parliament, and a Petitions Committee being established to look at how e-petitions work and which ones should get parliamentary attention.[3][8][9][10]

The House of Commons Procedure Committee produced a proposal in 2014 for e-petitions to be run jointly between the House of Commons and the Government and for the establishment of a new Petitions Committee to consider petitions for a debate in the House of Commons and scrutinise the Government's response.[11][12][13] The Petitions Committee was formed in 2015 during David Cameron's Conservative government and e-petitions were relaunched in July 2015 on the Parliament website.[14][15]

Since 2015, the website is hosted by Unboxed, a digital consultancy from UK,[16] which was often quoted in the national news surrounding the very popular petition of March 2019 which crashed the website database[17] and forced the provider to scale up its hosting and tweak its code.[18]

Notable petitions

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As of March 2019 the petition with the most signatures, with 6.1 million signatories, is a petition requesting the revocation of Article 50 and for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union. Started on 12 February 2019, it acquired more than 4 million signatures in 48 hours, between 21 March and 23 March 2019, following Prime Minister Theresa May's speech to the nation after the UK had requested that the Article 50 period be extended[19] and a public campaign by political groups. Internet traffic to the UK Parliament Petitions website was so high that the website crashed multiple times during the initial 24 hours of the petition's public campaign.[20][17][21]

The second most signed petition, with 4.2 million signatories, requested that Parliament hold another referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union if the result of the June 2016 "Brexit" referendum was "less than 60% based on a turnout less than 75%" (which threshold was not reached), but Parliament did not comply with the petitioners' request.[22] This petition had been started in May 2016 before the Brexit referendum, by a supporter of Brexit, who stated that he was unhappy that the petition was signed by supporters of Remain following the referendum result.[23]

A 2007 petition to oppose plans to introduce road pricing gathered 1.8 million signatures on an earlier version of the petitions website hosted on the Downing Street website. Prime Minister Tony Blair emailed all those who signed to inform them that trials would still go ahead.[4][5]

In 2015, a petition called for legalisation of cannabis in the United Kingdom attracted more than 200,000 signatures and was debated in parliament.[24][25]

A petition in December 2015 sought to ban Donald Trump from entering the UK; this gained more than 550,000 signatories and caused the website to crash.[26][27][28] A subsequent petition launched in January 2017 called for Donald Trump to be banned from an official state visit to the UK following his election as U.S. president, and received over 1.8 million signatures.[29] Neither petition was successful.[30]

In March 2016, a petition calling for provision of meningitis B vaccine to all children in the UK received over 800,000 signatures, and the issue was subsequently debated in Parliament.[31]

In October 2020, footballer Marcus Rashford began a petition which gathered 1 million signatures. The petition called for the end of child food poverty with three demands: expand access to Free School Meals, provide meals and activities during holidays to stop holiday hunger and increase the value of and expand the Healthy Start scheme.[32]

In November 2024, a petition was initiated calling for a general election in the UK after the Labour party allegedly broke several campaign promises following the 2024 general election. This petition was signed over 1 million times within a 24 hour period,[33] and has the most signatures of any petition for this government, currently at over 3 million signatures.

Petitions with more than 500,000 signatures

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Petition Signatures Status Request Year Details
Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU (Petition 241584) 6,103,056 Closed The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now. 2019 On 26 March 2019 the Commons Petitions Committee approved the motion for debate in Parliament, along with two other motions from smaller petitions concerning Brexit, on 1 April 2019. At the time of this decision the number of signatures stood at 5.75 million. The government responded immediately following this announcement, and prior to the debate, rejecting calls to revoke Article 50. The Government's response: "This Government will not revoke Article 50. We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union." The debate took place on 1 April 2019.[21]
EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum (Petition 131215) 4,150,262 Closed We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum. 2016 Rejected after debate in Parliament. With Government response: "The European Union Referendum Act received Royal Assent in December 2015, receiving overwhelming support from Parliament. The Act did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout."
Call a General Election (Petition 700143) 3,000,000+ Open I would like there to be another General Election.

I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.

2024 Set to be debated in Parliament on 6 January 2025. With Government response: "This Government was elected on a mandate of change at the July 2024 general election. Our full focus is on fixing the foundations, rebuilding Britain, and restoring public confidence in government."
Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom (Petition 171928) 1,863,708 Closed Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen. 2017 Rejected after debate in Parliament. With Government response "HM Government believes the President of the United States should be extended the full courtesy of a State Visit. We look forward to welcoming President Trump once dates and arrangements are finalised."
Oppose plans to introduce road pricing 1,792,116 Closed We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Scrap the planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy. 2007 Rebuffed by Prime Minister Tony Blair; the trials went ahead although the schemes were later abandoned following strong public opposition.
Do not prorogue Parliament (Petition 269157) 1,722,935 Closed Parliament must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK's intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled. 2019 Boris Johnson's request to prorogue parliament for five weeks from mid-September was approved by the Queen. But was later ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court.
End child food poverty – no child should be going hungry (Petition 554276) 1,113,889 Closed Government should support vulnerable children & #endchildfoodpoverty by implementing 3 recommendations from the National Food Strategy to expand access to Free School Meals, provide meals & activities during holidays to stop holiday hunger & increase the value of and expand the Healthy Start scheme 2020 Debated in Parliament on 24 May 2021
Call an immediate general election to end the chaos of the current government 906,624 Closed Call an immediate general election so that the people can decide who should lead us through the unprecedented crises threatening the UK. 2022 Debated in Parliament on 17 October 2022
Give the Meningitis B vaccine to ALL children, not just newborn babies. (Petition 108072) 823,349 Closed "All children are at risk from this terrible infection, yet the Government plan to only vaccinate 2-5 month olds. There needs to be a rollout programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to age 11. Meningococcal infections can be very serious, causing MENINGITIS, SEPTICAEMIA & DEATH."[34] 2015 Debated in Parliament on 25 April 2016, prior to which the following government response was provided on 1 March 2016: "MenB vaccine is offered to infants, free on the NHS, at 2 months with further doses at 4 and 12 months. The programme, as advised by independent experts, offers protection to those at highest risk."[34]
Leave the EU without a deal in March 2019. (Petition 229963) 608,152 Closed We are wasting Billions of pounds of taxpayers money trying to negotiate in a short space of time. Leaving the EU in March 2019 will allow the UK good time to negotiate more efficiently. The EU will be more eager to accept a deal on our terms having lost a major partner. 2018 Debated in Parliament on 14 January 2019, prior to which the following government response was provided on 14 December 2018: "The deal that we have reached with the EU is the right one for the United Kingdom. Leaving without a deal would risk uncertainty for the economy, for business and for citizens."
Ban all ISIS members from returning to UK (Petition 231521) 598,254 Closed Ban all ISIS members from returning to the UK, remove their citizenship and passports 2018 Debated in Parliament on 18 March 2019, prior to which the following government response was provided on 27 November 2018: "British citizenship can be removed if it does not render the individual stateless. Any risk posed by those who return from Syria will be managed and they may be investigated for criminal offences."
Block Donald J Trump from UK entry (Petition 114003) 586,930 Closed The signatories believe Donald J Trump should be banned from UK entry. 2015 Debated in Parliament on 18 January 2016, prior to which the following government response was provided on 29 December 2015: "The Government has a policy of not routinely commenting on individual immigration or exclusion cases."

References

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  1. ^ "Find out more about e-petitions". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  2. ^ "A Brief History of Petitioning Parliament". Erskine May. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Connor, Gary (30 October 2015). "Are e-petitions a waste of time?". BBC Website. BBC. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b "PM denies road toll 'stealth tax'". 21 February 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b Jones, David Millward and George (21 February 2007). "Blair rebuffs 1.8m who signed road petition". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Popular e-petitions will now be debated in Parliament". Daily Telegraph. 29 July 2011. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  7. ^ Rath, Kayte (17 August 2012). "E-petitions get 6.4m signatures". Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  8. ^ Fox, Dr Ruth (2012). "What next for e-petitions?" (PDF). Hansard Society. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  9. ^ "E-petitions - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Revisiting Rebuilding the House: the impact of the Wright reforms (12th March 2013)". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  11. ^ "E-petition plan for the Commons". 4 December 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  12. ^ "E-petitions: a collaborative system, Procedure Committee publishes proposals - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  13. ^ "House of Commons - E-petitions: a collaborative system - Procedure Committee". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  14. ^ "New e-petitions website opens". 20 July 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  15. ^ "New House of Commons and Government petitions website launched - News from Parliament". Parliament of the United Kingdom.
  16. ^ "Our work - UK Government and Parliament Petitions".
  17. ^ a b Hern, Alex (21 March 2019). "Petition to revoke article 50 exceeds 1m signatures amid site crashes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  18. ^ "May rejects revoke article 50 petition despite 2m signatures". 22 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Brexit: 'Tired' public needs a decision, says Theresa May". BBC. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Brexit: Revoke Article 50 petition crashes Parliament website". BBC News. 21 March 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Article 50: MPs debate six-million-signature petition". BBC News. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  22. ^ Millward, David; Eysenck, Juliet (29 June 2016). "Petition for second EU referendum reaches 4 million as hundreds attend anti-Brexit protest in London". The Telegraph. Daily Telegraph.
  23. ^ "Petition calling for second EU referendum was created by a Leave voter – and he's not happy that it's been 'hijacked' by Remain". Daily Telegraph. 27 June 2016.
  24. ^ "Government gives a damning response to a huge cannabis legalisation petition". The Independent. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  25. ^ "MPs to debate cannabis legalisation after petition reaches 200,000 signatures". the Guardian. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  26. ^ "The Ban Donald Trump petition crashed because so many people wanted to sign it". The Independent. 9 December 2015.
  27. ^ "Trump UK ban petition passes 370,000 signatures". BBC News. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  28. ^ "UK Petition To Ban Donald Trump Breaks Record". Sky News.
  29. ^ "Public figures call for biggest ever UK protest to oppose Trump visit". The Guardian. 1 February 2017.
  30. ^ Swinford, Steven (14 February 2017). "Theresa May formally rejects petition calling for Donald Trump to be barred from making state visit to UK". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  31. ^ "Meningitis B vaccine petition gets date in parliament after record 800,000 signatures". Liverpool Echo. 4 March 2016.
  32. ^ Simmonds, Kadeem (15 October 2020). "Marcus Rashford starts parliamentary petition to #endchildfoodpoverty". Morning Star. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  33. ^ "Over one million sign petition for a general election to be called in the UK". TheJournal.ie. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  34. ^ a b "What are the 10 most-signed petitions and what have they achieved?". ITV News. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
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