Democracy is the cornerstone of our country

At every general election, people weigh up the competing promises made by each political party and cast their vote for those they believe will best serve them, their families, and their communities.

Elections are a nervous time for politicians. But fundamentally, we each serve at the pleasure of our constituents. People elect us, and they can remove us too.

A petition to give the public the right to vote no confidence in the government – during a Parliamentary term – recently reached more than 120,000 signatures. It was signed by people in all corners of our United Kingdom and triggered a debate in Parliament.

As Members of Parliament, we need to reflect carefully on what that means.

I am not surprised the petition received such significant public support. As a member of the Petitions Committee, I was pleased to introduce the petition for a debate in Parliament.

Since Keir Starmer came to power, he has broken just about every promise he made to the British people before the last general election.

The day after Labour won a landslide majority, Keir Starmer stood on the steps of Downing Street and promised a “government of service”. He pledged to restore trust in politics and deliver the highest standards in public life.

Yet since taking office, the Labour government has presided over a series of broken promises, policy u-turns, and scandals.

Despite promising no tax rises on working people, taxes have increased to a record level. Pensioners were left freezing in their homes last winter after cuts to Winter Fuel Payments. Farmers have been hit by the cruel Family Farm Tax. Promised welfare reforms were abandoned, compensation for WASPI women was dropped, and after months of resistance the government was forced to change course on a grooming gangs inquiry.

In fact, there have now been more than a dozen major U-turns since Labour entered office.

Fair-minded people understand that governments sometimes need to adapt to events and circumstances beyond their control – such as a global spike in oil prices. What they do not expect is to be promised one thing before an election, and be delivered with the complete opposite afterwards.

Adding to that frustration is the sense that the government is riddled with scandal. A series of Labour ministers have been sacked or forced to resign after controversies.

The Transport Secretary resigned over fraud. The anti-corruption minister was forced out over corruption allegations. The homelessness minister was accused of making her tenants homeless. The Deputy Prime Minister was accused of tax avoidance. Peter Mandelson was appointed to one of the most British prestigious diplomatic posts despite his links to one of the world’s most notorious grooming gang leaders, Jeffrey Epstein.

The petitioners are calling for a public mechanism to remove a government.

Such a change to allow the public to vote no confidence in a government would represent a profound constitutional shift, and there are many questions about how such a proposal would work in practice.

How many people would need to support the proposal to remove a government? How would signatures be verified to prevent malign foreign influence? Would it automatically lead to a general election, or require Parliament to hold a formal vote of no confidence?

These are complex issues that would require careful thought.

However, it would be far too easy for an unpopular government such as this one to dismiss the petition as “too complex”, tying the issue up in constitutional knots.

The fact that so many people have signed the petition sends an important message. It reflects the growing frustration among many voters who feel their voices are not being heard.

In our parliamentary system, the easiest way to remove a government remains a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons. Governments that lose such votes have historically either resigned or sought a general election.

Labour MPs will know the strength of feeling among their own constituents. They hear it in their inboxes, on the doorstep and in conversations in their communities.
That is why the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, has offered to work with Labour MPs to remove this failing Prime Minister and this failing government. It is in their gift to do so.

Our country did not vote for what this Labour government is doing. They need to listen carefully to what the public thinks of the disastrous choices they have made since coming to power.

We deserve far better than broken promises, endless U-turns, and a government mired in chaos.