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Open petition: Limit MPs' early resignation to specific circumstances & impose penalties

Created by Eric Gordon Smith
Closes on

Although MPs cannot resign from the Commons midterm they can circumvent this restriction by use of archaic procedure and Crown offices. This may allow inappropriate change that disrupts the operation of the Commons. This petition is to limit use of this loophole to genuine need.

There should be documented well-defined criteria describing circumstances that would allow MPs to resign before the end of a parliamentary term.

The entity that grants the right to an early resignation should be independent of any political party e.g. The Speaker, not the Chancellor of the Exchequer as at present.

There should be a penalty to deter MPs from resigning early including repayment of any parliamentary allowances received and being barred from standing as an MP in the future.

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  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 6 February 2027.