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"Labour firmly in the unpopular camp" as almost 2m sign 'Call a General Election' petition

ended 25. November 2024

A petition calling for a General Election has apparently broken the record for the speed at which it hit 100,000 signatures. At the time of writing of 08:00 on Monday, the petition had reached over 1.8m signatures. Newspage asked a selection of voters for their views, below. One said “this petition hit a million signatures faster than a Londoner spots a parking warden. It is a clear sign of the public's mounting frustration”, while a second added: “The supersonic speed of the signatories of this petition might make the government want to pause for thought before driving another nail into the UK economy.” A third quipped: “With votes flying in at this pace, it’s like an episode of 'I’m a Prime Minister Get Me Out of Here'. If ever we needed it, this is confirmation that the PM still has a long way to go to get the public on his side and install confidence.” The views of voters will appear below until 09:00.

10 responses from the Newspage community

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Tony Redondo
Founder at Cosmos Currency Exchange
Less than five months into his premiership, Sir Keir Starmer's government faces a backlash that could make a soap opera look like a calm afternoon tea. While promising to serve all citizens, Starmer has withdrawn winter fuel allowances for pensioners and handed hefty tax increases to the private sector—talk about serving cold meals! On November 23, a petition titled “Call a General Election,” created by businessman Michael Westwood, was launched, and instantly went viral, nearing 1.9 million signatures. The petition claims the Labour government has broken its election promises, akin to saying your dog promised to fetch the ball but just stared at you instead. Petitions with over 100,000 signatures are debated in Parliament, so this one will require a formal government response and may be discussed in Parliament. With such overwhelming support, the public seems ready for a political shake-up—perhaps even a new reality show: “Survivor: Westminster Edition.”
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Simon Bridgland
Director at Charwin Private Clients
The supersonic speed of the signatories of this petition might make the government want to pause for thought before driving another nail into the UK economy. But in reality it will achieve nothing more. I cannot see another General Election being called though this, and certainly not after waiting 14 years to take the reins. The voting public just need to be able to hold on tight for the ride. Any recovery is likely to have some false starts as Labour find their feet. Given enough time, as they say, a room full of monkeys can write the works of Shakespeare.
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Ben Perks
Managing Director at Orchard Financial Advisers
With votes flying in at this pace, it’s like an episode of 'I’m a Prime Minister Get Me Out of Here'. If ever we needed it, this is confirmation that the PM still has a long way to go to get the public on his side and install confidence.
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Kundan Bhaduri
Property Developer and Portfolio Landlord at The Kushman Group
Labour's first months in power have been about as reassuring as a builder telling you, "Trust me, it'll hold." As a property developer and business owner, Labour's so-called wealth-generation strategy seems more focused on taxing success than fostering it. No wonder this petition hit a million signatures faster than a Londoner spots a parking warden. It is a clear sign of the public's mounting frustration. Even Elon Musk’s wry “interesting” on X adds a touch of global curiosity to this British drama. So will the petition lead to a snap election? Extraordinarily unlikely. But it will surely turn up the heat in Parliament and serve as a stark reminder that voters don’t take kindly to economic policies that treat business owners and employers as cash cows. Labour’s fixation on taxing those who create jobs and wealth has already started stalling growth and innovation since the Budget.
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Riz Malik
Independent Financial Adviser at R3 Wealth
This is far from what Keir Starmer or the great British public expected so soon into the new administration. For Keir to survive, one step needs to be taken. Rachel needs to reverse some of the changes in the budget, or she needs to go. She has proven she is out of her depth and does not understand the economy. The only time she has been economical is with her CV and Linkedin profile. We need someone credible to look after the country's purse strings.
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Chris Barry
Director at Thomas Legal
In population terms, Labour were always going to be up against it and polls suggest many people voted them in due to a lack of alternatives. This, together with a Budget that really raised anger among business owners, has put Labour firmly in the unpopular camp. The story of Labour supporting a campaign against Trump during the US election has now come back to haunt them as X will drum up a lot of support for this petition. It’s no surprise people are trying to push back and, while this is unlikely to come to anything, it does highlight the lack of leadership in this country.
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Gabriel McKeown
Head of Macroeconomics at Sad Rabbit - Substack Newsletter
Earlier this year, the public clamoured for change at the ballot box, and now they're clamouring for a change to the change they voted for. This underscores a broader discontent among voters who initially rallied behind Labour, not out of unwavering support for the party but as a rejection of years marked by austerity and perceived incompetence under the previous government. However, as Labour's early policies fail to address underlying economic issues such as elevated living costs and public service inadequacies, that yearning for further change is understandably resurfacing. The government’s initial budget has been met with mixed reactions, with many voters feeling that the ‘tough choices’, framed as necessary for fiscal responsibility, betray pre-election promises and are more akin to austerity measures. This petition is representative of a public left questioning whether Labour can deliver on its commitments or if it has simply inherited the economic malaise of its predecessors.
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David Stirling
Independent Financial Advisor at Mint Wealth
The general public are peeved at Reeves & Co and are certainly voicing their discontent with this petition. While unlikely to force a General Election, the petition must feel like a stone in the shoe of Keir Starmer. His government's very brief honeymoon period has been a disaster and their policies unpopular. We've had Farmers versus Starmer, businesses distraught about tax hikes and now the wider public stamping their feet at the Government and it's hard to see where it ends.
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Katy Eatenton
Mortgage & Protection Specialist at Eatenton Finance
This definitely shows the level of confidence in the current government, namely very little at all. It would be interesting to see how many of these signatories actually voted for them in the first place. I can’t see a 'General Ejection' happening, but hopefully it will make them rethink some of their policies and try and rectify them before things get even worse.
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Patricia McGirr
Founder at Repossession Rescue Network
I feel the PM will care not a jot now that his well-heeled feet are firmly under the table. That said, this sends a message that the Starm-troopers would do well to heed. There’s only so much the already beleaguered electorate will take and Sir Keir’s honeymoon period has already been blighted by infidelity to the UK business sector.