Man reveals why he started 2.5million-signature petition for another general election
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The pub owner who initiated the widely shared petition for a general election has explained his reasons for launching it.
Last week, Michael Westwood started a petition that has now received more than 2.5 million signatures. He reportedly became frustrated with Sir Keir Starmer only four months after the Labour party achieved a significant victory in the general election.
"I felt like they were constantly looking at the downside," he said in an interview with MailOnline.
They were instilling a sense of panic in everyone, claiming that things were worse than ever. They also failed to uphold the promises they made in their manifesto. I felt a lot of frustration from constantly witnessing and hearing all of this; it truly irritated me.
"I simply entered 'how to change the prime minister' into Google, and the first suggestion was to create a petition. So, that's exactly what I went ahead and did."
The petition posted on the government website states: “I am calling for a new general election. I feel that the present Labour government has not fulfilled the commitments they made before the last election.”
The petition was launched on November 20 and, as of this writing, has garnered more than 2,616,000 signatures. Most of those who have signed the petition are from Conservative or Reform stronghold regions.
Mr. Westwood, who operates three pubs in the West Midlands, mentioned that even though he initiated the petition, he does not see himself as a political person. He expressed his surprise at the overwhelming support he has received.
In the recent election, he cast his vote for the Conservative party, but he emphasized that many individuals are dissatisfied with the government. He pointed out that this discontent isn't limited to those who opposed him; it also includes a significant number of Labour supporters.
"Ever since they were elected, they’ve only spoken negatively about the country and have not been honest in their statements."
On Monday, the prime minister addressed the petition, which is rapidly accumulating thousands of signatures daily.
When questioned about the petition during the ITV show This Morning on Monday, Sir Keir rejected the idea of holding an election, explaining that "that's not how our system functions."
He stated, "I keep in mind that a large number of people didn't support Labour in the last election, so it doesn't surprise me that many of them are calling for a repeat."
