{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/741548.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":741548,"attributes":{"action":"Automatically trigger a by-election following a defection to another party.","background":"Automatically trigger a by-election following a defection to another party. This is to give constituents the opportunity to either re-elect the individual standing for their defected party, or vote for the political party they previously voted, but a different candidate following the defection.","additional_details":"To ensure that politicians can’t just defect from a party that is unpopular to a party that is leading in hypothetical polls, to ensure they keep their elected seat at the next election. This is unfair to those local constituents who may have voted for the political party rather than the individual. Having a politician defect to a party that lost in a recently election isn’t democratic, nor fair for their local constituents.","committee_note":null,"state":"rejected","signature_count":6,"created_at":"2025-09-18T11:43:47.752Z","updated_at":"2025-10-14T11:05:53.278Z","rejected_at":"2025-10-14T11:05:53.280Z","opened_at":null,"closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2025-09-25T20:12:10.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":null,"rejection":{"code":"duplicate","details":"You may wish to sign this petition, which calls for the same action: \"By-elections to be called automatically when MPs defect to another party\" https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/737660"},"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[],"topics":[]}}}