Petition · past parliament
MPs resigning their Whip automatically triggers a by-election.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Parliament should legislate that any MP resigning their Whip automatically triggers a by-election.
The vast majority of MPs are elected on the basis of the political party they represent, and not by virtue of their personal integrity.
The vast majority of MPs are elected on the basis of the political party they represent, and not by virtue of their personal integrity.
If an MP resigns their Whip, then their constituents should be able to endorse them or reject them outside of the general election cycle.
Parliament should legislate that a by-election is automatically triggered the moment the announcement to resign their Whip is made.
If the MP has the full backing of their constituents independently from their Party allegiance, then they should have nothing to fear.
Parliament should legislate that a by-election is automatically triggered the moment the announcement to resign their Whip is made.
If the MP has the full backing of their constituents independently from their Party allegiance, then they should have nothing to fear.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 18 Feb 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 22 Feb 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
22 Feb 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.