‘Why I started petition for fresh general election’

A publican already fed up with the new government has said the viral response to his petition calling for a fresh election – just months after the vote – has been beyond his “wildest dreams”.

Tory voter Michael Westwood’s online document has in a matter of days secured more than 2.5 million signatures backing his plea.

Mr Westwood, who runs the Wagon and Horses pub in Oldbury in the West Midlands, said he launched it because he believed the Labour government – elected on 4 July – had “gone back on the promises” the party made.

But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “not that surprised” people who did not vote Labour wanted a re-run of the poll.

Mr Westwood, who owns three pubs in the Black Country, said: “The people that are currently in charge of the country, in my opinion, lied to get there.”

He added of the petition: “To have my opinion and my thoughts put out there and to find out actually, quite a lot of people agree, I think it’s fantastic. It just shows that you’re not on your own.”

He went on to predict that “tough times” were ahead following the national insurance hike and changes to business rates relief announced in the recent budget, which he said would have a “detrimental effect” on small businesses.

The petition, created last week, currently has about 2.7 million signatures and will be considered for a debate in parliament, although the document will not itself trigger an election.

When asked about the petition, the prime minister told ITV that he had “inherited a lot of problems” from the previous government and he had decided to “take the hard decisions first”.

“Look, I remind myself that very many people didn’t vote Labour at the last election,” he said.

“I’m not surprised that many of them want a rerun. That isn’t how our system works.”

Mr Westwood said it was his view the prime minister had in fact taken the “easy option”.

“Small businesses,” he said, “are the heart of this country, it’s what makes this country tick, and there’s not going to be any left.”

He said of his document and its signatories: “All I wanted to do was give people a chance to express their opinion.”