100 signatures reached
To: Jeremy Corbyn, MP, leader of the Labour opposition
Call for a Commons "Vote of no confidence" in the current Government
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Under the Fixed-Term Parliaments act, early general elections may only be called if the Commons votes on the following motion:
“That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty’s Government.”
We call on you as leader of the largest party in opposition, Mr Corbyn, to push for this motion to be considered in the House of Commons.
Why is this important?
The Cabinet Office has responded to a petition on the parliament.uk website: Call a General Election in 2016. The wording of the response makes it clear that although over 100,000 signatures have been reached, the petition is unlikely to be debated:
"The accusations made about the Government and Prime Minister in this petition are wrong, and the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act means no Government can call an early general election any more anyway.
The Government and Prime Minister have never sought to mislead the public. Nonetheless, the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, which came into force in 2011 under the Coalition Government, removed the power to set the general election date, and therefore to call an early general election, from the Government and gave a power to the House of Commons to call an early general election in certain circumstances.
An early general election can only be called under the Act if either a motion (as worded in section 2(2) of the Act) that there shall be an early parliamentary general election is passed by the House of Commons with at least two thirds in favour of the motion; or if a motion of no confidence (as worded in section 2(4) of the Act) is passed by the House of Commons and the House does not pass a motion of confidence (as worded in section 2(5) of the Act) in the Government or an alternative Government within 14 days. Aside from these triggers there is no way to replace the Government through an early General Election.
Cabinet Office"
Justifications for a vote of no confidence involve, but are not limited to: the victimisation of the disabled and working class, the erosion of public services, a blatant disregard for the value of our NHS workers, and the hypocrisy of a Government which moralises on tax evasion but fails to bring neither its own members nor its friends in big business to account, and a failing economy which is focused on financial irregularity and the dismantling of British industry.
The British people do not deserve another 4 years of a Government which gained its mandate on a low percentage vote and promises which have now been broken. We urge you to be the catalyst for action and to press for a "No Confidence" vote in Parliament amongst your peers both within and without the party.
