Petition · past parliament
Require at least 80% of MPs to attend debates held as a result of a petition
Closed
44 signatures
What the petition asks
The British government implemented an official petition system to hear the needs of the people. However, it is failing its purpose: petitions reaching 100,000 signatures are debated, but often by a very small number of attending MPs. This must change to force the government to hear our wishes.
The petition to "accept more asylum seekers and increase support for refugee migrants in the UK" was signed by over 450,000 citizens, but only 27 MPs turned up to debate.
The petition to "make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal" received almost 250,000 signatures, yet even fewer of our elected MPs turned up to debate.
The petition system in its current form is a method for the government to systematically ignore the wishes of the electorate. This needs to change.
The petition to "make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal" received almost 250,000 signatures, yet even fewer of our elected MPs turned up to debate.
The petition system in its current form is a method for the government to systematically ignore the wishes of the electorate. This needs to change.
Timeline
| 16 Feb 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 16 Aug 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
44
Status
Closed
Opened
16 Feb 2016
Closed
16 Aug 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.