Petition · past parliament

Make it law to call a by-election if an M.P chooses to leave their party

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

This week has seen MPs from both Labour and the Conservatives leave their parties to stand as Independent MPs - calling themselves the Independent Group.
In 2017, the 11 MPs who have joined The Independent Group were all elected on their parties’ manifestos.
Many of their constituents will have cast their ballot for these MPs in a show of support for their Party, its policies and its leadership.
These MPs should be judged by their constituents by having a by-election so the people they represent can have a say - either confirming this MP should to continue as an independent or selecting a new M.P who better represents them.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

Timeline

21 Feb 2019 Petition opened for signatures
26 Feb 2019 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10
Status Rejected
Rejected 26 Feb 2019

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.