Man behind viral petition demanding Keir Starmer calls another general election speaks out

A pub landlord who launched a viral run calling for different General Election aft Labour enactment “the fearfulness of God into radical that everything was truthful bad” has agreed the Government should beryllium fixed a spot much time.

Michael Westwood began the petition arsenic helium believed the precocious elected Labour authorities had gone backmost connected promises laid retired successful its manifesto.

Mr Westwood told the MailOnline helium thought Labour were being “negative each the time”.

He went on: “They were putting the fearfulness of God into radical that everything was truthful bad. They had besides gone backmost connected their manifesto promises.

“I was conscionable frustrated astatine what I was seeing and proceeding it each the clip and it truly annoyed me.

“I conscionable typed into Google ‘how to alteration the Prime Minister’ and it came backmost with commencement a petition. So that's what I did.”

He said helium was not a governmental idiosyncratic but was “very patriotic” and “didn't similar the mode they were talking down the country.”

He aboriginal told Sky News helium acceptable up the petition to “try and springiness the radical a voice”.

When quizzed astir whether Labour should beryllium fixed a afloat 5 years to present connected their manifesto, helium told the broadcaster: “I bash hold to that, but what they promised and what they are delivering successful my sentiment is simply a antithetic happening altogether.”

When asked if they should beryllium fixed a spot much clip helium agreed “Of course” - earlier adding “The interest is they person been successful 5 months it has been doom and gloom. The fund which they person brought retired is going to impact adjacent twelvemonth if not the twelvemonth after.

“As a tiny businessman looking agelong term, you deliberation to yourself ‘if this is the benignant of happening they travel up with successful 5 months what the hellhole is 5 years going to look like’.”

He revealed helium voted Conservative astatine the General Election and added “Why alteration thing for the involvement of change”.

Asked astir the petition connected ITV’s This Morning programme connected Monday, Sir Keir said: “Look, I punctual myself that precise galore radical didn’t ballot Labour astatine the past election.

“I’m not amazed that galore of them privation a re-run. That isn’t however our strategy works.

“There volition beryllium plentifulness of radical who didn’t privation america successful in the archetypal place.

“So, what my absorption is connected is the decisions that I person to marque each day.”

He characterised decisions taken truthful acold by his Government arsenic “tough but fair”.

Sir Keir and his ministers person faced a peculiarly beardown backlash for limiting wintertime substance payments to lone the poorest pensioners.

Farmers person besides protested implicit changes to inheritance taxation which they assertion could impact the aboriginal of their businesses.

As helium marks 5 months arsenic Prime Minister, Sir Keir acknowledged the occupation has been difficult, but added: “I wouldn’t swap a azygous time successful absorption for a time successful power.

“It’s overmuch amended to beryllium successful powerfulness to bash things, alternatively than the frustration, arsenic I recovered it, successful absorption for each of those agelong years wherever we were conscionable capable to accidental what we would do.”

The petition calling for different wide predetermination is unfastened for signatures until May 2025.

While the immense bulk of those signing it are from the UK, it has besides gained enactment from different countries.

More than 1,200 radical from the US person added their names to it, with akin a fig from France doing the same.

American signatories whitethorn person been made alert of the petition by Elon Musk, the businessman and state of President-elect Donald Trump.

He shared the petition connected X, the societal media tract helium owns formerly known arsenic Twitter, claiming “the radical of Britain person had capable of a tyrannical constabulary state”.

Downing Street sought to debar being drawn into a warfare of words with Mr Musk.

The Prime Minister’s authoritative spokesperson added Sir Keir was “focused connected the issues that substance astir to the British people”.

Some of the UK constituencies with the highest fig of signatories look to beryllium Tory-held seats.

More than 5,800 radical person signed it successful Brentwood and Ongar wherever shadiness Cabinet Office curate Alex Burghart is MP, portion 5,200 person signed it successful Tory main whip Rebecca Harris’s Castle Point constituency.

Although it has garnered media attraction and millions of signatures, it is acold from the largest petition received done the Parliament website, oregon the 1 which has seen the astir accelerated take-up.

In 2019, immoderate 6.1 cardinal radical signed a petition calling for the revocation of Article 50 and for the United Kingdom to stay successful the European Union, 4 cardinal of whom did truthful successful 48 hours.

The 2nd most-signed petition gained 4.1 cardinal signatures.

The 2016 petition called for a 2nd referendum connected the UK’s rank of the European Union pursuing the Brexit vote.

Because the predetermination petition has received 10,000 signatures, ministers volition contented a effect to it.

Among those sharing the petition online was retired histrion Sir Michael Caine, who has been captious of Labour governments successful the past.