This petition was submitted during the 2017–2019 Conservative government
Rejected petition Stop political parties telling MPs how to vote on specific issues
Currently political parties can ask MPs to vote in a particular way through ‘the whip’. This is widely regarded as an instruction from the party leaders and, according to Parliament's website, defying a three-line whip can result in an MP being effectively expelled from their party.
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Party endorsement at the next election obviously depends on MPs sharing the overall aims of the party. But if it depends on them voting according to the party line on every specific issue, their ability to vote in good conscience, in the best interests of all their constituents, is seriously undermined.
We ask that political parties be banned from asking MPs (openly or through coded messages) to vote in a particular way on any particular issue.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.
Decisions about whipping are the responsibility of the political parties and decisions about how to vote in the House of Commons are the responsibility of individual MPs, not the UK Government or Parliament as a whole.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.