Stuart Anderson MP Warns Prime Minister to Change Course, as Over 7,000 South Shropshire Residents Call for Fresh General Election
Stuart Anderson MP has warned the Prime Minister that he must “change course and start listening to the concerns of people in rural communities like South Shropshire", as a petition calling for a fresh General Election has reached three million signatures in just over two months.
As of 3rd January, the petition has amassed a total of 3,013,801. This includes more than 7,250 residents across South Shropshire - placing it in the top ten constituencies with the highest number of signatures. Once a petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it is considered for debate in Parliament. Having far exceeding the threshold, the petition is due to be debated on 6th January 2024.
The petition follows fallout from the first six months of the new government, with recent decisions causing division among government ranks. It includes restricting eligibility for winter fuel payments, denying support for women affected by increases to the State Pension Age, and the unpopular ‘Family Farm Tax’, which will reduce agricultural property relief for farming families. A petition calling for the latter to be scrapped has been signed by more than 200,000 people across the country.
The petition calling for a fresh General Election was launched in November by Michael Westwood, owner of Sandwell’s Wagon and Horses. In the petition, he states: “I would like there to be another General Election. I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.”
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning before Christmas, Keir Starmer stated: “I'm not that surprised that many of them want a re-run.” Dashing the prospects of a new General Election, the Prime Minister added: “That isn't how our system works."
Stuart said the debate is a “vital opportunity” to convince the government to change course. Stuart added that he is disappointed to miss the debate, as he will be preparing to undergo reconstructive surgery at the time. He has instead written to the Prime Minister, stating the increasing number of signatures express a “rapidly growing and palpable sense of feeling the government is taking the wrong direction".
All petitions on Parliament’s website run for six months, meaning residents have to 20th May 2025 to add their signature. They can do so at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700143.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“When the Prime Minister said he would unite the country, little did he think it would be in opposition to his policies. Having now clocked up six months in office, this new government’s greatest achievement has been uniting the country in opposition to its announcements. Its record of broken promises has let down pensioners, business owners, farmers, and working people across the country. That three million people have signed the petition calling for a fresh general election should be a stark warning to the government. This expresses a very palpable, and rapidly growing, sense of feeling that the government is taking the wrong direction. The Prime Minister must seize this opportunity to change course and start listening to the concerns of people in rural communities like South Shropshire.”
