A petition calling for a new general election in Britain has reached more than 1.7 million signatures, as the Labor government faces widespread disapproval over its policies and post-poll work. Even Tesla president Elon Musk chimed in on the issue by reposting a message about the petition’s success. According to the guidelines, petitions seeking changes to laws or policies must receive a response from the government after 10,000 signatures. After collecting 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered in parliament.
“We would like to see another general election held. We believe that the current Labor government has broken the promises it made in the lead-up to the last election,” the petition’s description reads.
As of the last update, this petition had 1,771,423 signatures and counting. The petition was started by Michael Westwood, who runs Britain’s ‘cheapest pub’. He said he never dreamed that Musk would be cited after the petition.
A post shared by Mr Musk said: “The general election petition smashed its 200,000 target in less than 6 hours, just after midnight in the UK. The British people are about to completely humiliate the Labor Party.”
Amazing https://t.co/ZD3uwS0f7t
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024
Meanwhile, Mr Westwood, owner of the Wagon and Horses pub, which sells pints for $2.90, said the Labor government’s actions were “nothing like what was promised” in its manifesto.
“I think people have had enough, and people have seen what’s going on in America as well. There’s actually been a ripple effect that if people come together and vote, we can make change. I think so,” Westwood said. Express.
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decline in popularity
The Labor government’s fortunes are in rapid decline, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s popularity plummeting after the general election earlier this year, according to an Ipsos poll. Almost half of people (49%) view Labor unfavorably, with Labor trailing the Conservatives by three points. Meanwhile, two in five Brits think their lives have gotten worse since Labor came to power.
A significant majority (56%) think the UK is moving in the wrong direction, compared to just 19% who feel things are moving in the right direction, reflecting national pessimism. This suggests that it is expanding.