Petition · past parliament

Use the army to force a hard UK lockdown

Rejected 18 signatures

What the petition asks

Use the army to lockdown the country, station them on major roads, railway stations and public spaces.

Have them stop, interrogate and march home anyone moving around without just cause.
The time for asking people to do the right thing and stay indoors is over, I want you to use the army to enforce a hard lockdown in this country.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

Maintaining public order is the responsibility of the police, not the military. The Government has said that the Ministry of Defence is working with a range of partners across Government, including the National Police Chiefs Council and the Home Office, to understand how it can best support the Government’s response to the outbreak. It would be an operational decision for the police whether to request assistance.

You can find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-support-force-the-mods-contribution-to-the-coronavirus-response

If you want the UK Government to introduce a complete lock down, you may wish to sign this petition: Have a complete lock down to control the spread of the virus

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

Timeline

9 Apr 2020 Petition opened for signatures
10 Jun 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 18
Status Rejected
Rejected 10 Jun 2020

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