Petition · past parliament
When an MP chooses to leave their party, it should force a by-election.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
The majority of voters actually choose a party to follow, with similar ideas to themselves, be it right or left of centre, rather than an individual. By leaving their party the MP no longer represents the majority of their constituents and therefore voters should be allowed to choose an alternative.
There should be no requirement for a by-election if MPs are sacked by their own leadership. There have been a number of MPs “jumping ship” on both sides of the house because they don’t agree with their leadership.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 9 Sep 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 11 Sep 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
11 Sep 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.