Starmer rules out another general election after petition reaches two million signatures
Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed the idea of holding an early general election, despite a petition advocating for a second vote that has garnered two million signatures.
The petition was started this past weekend, calling for a new vote just four months after Labour's significant victory. It claims that they have failed to keep the commitments they made before the last election.
By mid-morning on Monday, the number of signatures had surged to two million and was increasing rapidly.
Politics Update: Chancellor cautions about the adverse effects of tax hikes in the budget.
However, the prime minister announced that he would not be organizing another election.
He noted that he was "not surprised" that those who opposed backing Labour were in favor of a second referendum.
"Just to be clear, I remind myself that a lot of people chose not to vote for Labour in the previous election," he said during an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain.
I'm not shocked that a lot of them are hoping for a do-over. That's not how our system functions. There are definitely many individuals who were opposed to us from the start.
"My main emphasis is on the choices I need to make each day."
Petitions submitted on the government website can be taken up for discussion by Members of Parliament once they gather 10,000 signatures. If a petition receives 100,000 signatures, it will prompt an official response from the government.
Before Sir Keir mentioned it, the possibility of an early general election seemed slim because Labour holds a significant majority. Additionally, only the prime minister has the authority to request the King to dissolve Parliament and call for an election.
During the weekend, Members of Parliament associated with the more conservative factions of the Tories or with Reform UK were encouraging individuals on social media to support the petition by signing it.
Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, along with Andrew Griffith, the Conservative shadow business secretary, were among those promoting the petition.
Elon Musk, the billionaire behind X and an aide to Donald Trump, shared a link to a post that claimed to have gathered 200,000 signatures within just a few hours. He simply commented, "Wow."
Musk has criticized Sir Keir Starmer in the past, referring to him as "two-tier Keir" because of claims that the police were handling different communities unfairly based on their racial backgrounds.
Certain X users have been encouraging individuals worldwide to sign the petition and shared a list of postal codes so they could make it seem like they were voters in the UK, which is a requirement for signing the petition.
The government has encountered significant criticism over several of its policies, such as implementing inheritance tax on farms, reducing winter fuel assistance, increasing employers' national insurance contributions, and imposing VAT on private school tuition fees.
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Michael Westwood, who owns the Wagon and Horses pub located in Oldbury, West Midlands, initiated the petition.
He shared with the Daily Express, "I believe that people are fed up. They've been observing what has occurred in America, and I think that has influenced the situation here. If we unite and cast our votes, we can bring about change."
The most recent Ipsos political pulse survey revealed that public opinion of the Labour Party is quite low, with only 28% of people viewing it positively, while 49% have a negative perception.
Since taking office, Labour's overall performance has received a rating of four out of ten.
Most people (56%) expressed the belief that the nation is moving in the wrong direction, and two out of five Britons reported that their situation has declined since Labour took over.
