Petition · past parliament
Make the new Tory Party leader prove they command Parliament's support
Rejected
13 signatures
What the petition asks
One of the primary constitutional 'conventions' (rules) of government is that the person recommended to be appointed Prime Minister by the Queen is the leader of the party (or parties jointly) with an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons and able to command its full support.
A majority is 325 MPs and as the Conservative Party have 312 seats they do not have an absolute majority in the House of Commons. The next leader of the Conservative Party, who is elected by party members and not the general electorate, must demonstrate that they have the full support of the House of Commons before they can be recommended to the Queen to become Prime Minister. If they cannot command sufficient support then Parliament should recommend someone else, or call a general election.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
Petitions need to call on the UK Government or Parliament to take a specific action.
We're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do to demonstrate that the Government has "the full support of the House of Commons".
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do. However, we can't accept petitions about appointments, which includes calling for a vote of no confidence.
We used to accept petitions that called for a vote of no confidence. However, the Petitions Committee can’t schedule votes of no confidence. This was often frustrating and disappointing for petitioners.
If you're concerned about a particular policy or decision that's the responsibility of Government or the House of Commons, you could start a petition about that.
Petitions calling for action on policy are more likely to be an effective way of achieving the change you want.
We're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do to demonstrate that the Government has "the full support of the House of Commons".
You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do. However, we can't accept petitions about appointments, which includes calling for a vote of no confidence.
We used to accept petitions that called for a vote of no confidence. However, the Petitions Committee can’t schedule votes of no confidence. This was often frustrating and disappointing for petitioners.
If you're concerned about a particular policy or decision that's the responsibility of Government or the House of Commons, you could start a petition about that.
Petitions calling for action on policy are more likely to be an effective way of achieving the change you want.
Timeline
| 16 Jul 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 31 Jul 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
13
Status
Rejected
Rejected
31 Jul 2019
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.