Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to dissolve Parliament after a petition demanding an immediate general election received more than 65,000 signatures.
The petition, which is the third launched calling for a snap poll since Labour came to power in July 2024, is yet to receive a response from the Government.
A festive period surge saw the petition total signatures jump from less than 10,000 to 50,000 between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The petition will run until June 10, making it incredibly likely it will surpass the 100,000 signatures needed to be considered for debate in Westminster Hall.
In the petition’s description, creator Robert JF Barners wrote: “On July 4, 2024, Sir Keir Starmer was elected as Prime Minister.
“Since then, his Government has introduced measures that were not included in the Labour Party’s manifesto.
“We believe we were misled and the obfuscation has only got worse since Starmer took power.
“It is time for action. We believe the Government has failed to defend our borders from the small boats.
Sir Keir Starmer faces an uphill battle in the opinion polls
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PA
“We have no confidence in the way this Government has acted. Pensioners and farmers have been directly affected by policies that were not included in Labour’s manifesto.
“Our country cannot go on like this. Dissolve Parliament and call a General Election now!”
Despite a growing number of Britons signing the petition, the Prime Minister last year rejected claims he had broken his manifesto commitments.
However, Sir Keir also directly addressed the first petition demanding an immediate general election in November 2024.
A third petition has received more than 65,000 signatures
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PARLIAMENT
The Prime Minister said: “Look, I remind myself that very many people didn’t vote Labour at the last election. I’m not surprised that many of them want a rerun. That isn’t how our system works.
“There will be plenty of people who didn’t want us in the first place. So, what my focus is on is the decisions that I have to make every day.”
The petition received more than three million signatures, with a debate being held in January 2025.
A second debate will take place on January 12 after another immediate general election petition garnered more than one million signatures late last year.
The petition calls for the dissolution of Parliament
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PA
Despite the third petition awaiting a response from the Government, the two previous petitions make clear the decision to dissolve Parliament remains a royal prerogative exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Following the repeal of the 2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act in 2022, the Prime Minister can request a dissolution at a time of their choosing, though it must be within five years of the last general election.
Petitions demanding an early general election have also become more prominent as Labour’s support slumps in the opinion polls.
Labour received 34 per cent of the vote at the 2024 General Election, dropping to just 18.4 per cent on Christmas Eve.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has seen his support surge since the 2024 General Election
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REFORM UK
Reform UK’s support has jumped from just 14.7 per cent to 27.5 per cent, with the Greens also receiving a seven-point boost to hit 13.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, an increasing number of Britons believe a general election will take place next year.
More in Common found 34 per cent think it is totally likely voters will go to the polls in 2026, the exact same proportion of Britons believe England will make it to the final of the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
However, a higher proportion – 44 per cent – believe Sir Keir will resign or be removed as Prime Minister by the end of the year.