The Independent has launched a petition calling for a general election to be held in the UK following the unprecedented chaos caused by recent political events.
Liz Truss has quit as prime minister after just 45 days in office. She had no mandate for her abrupt changes of policy when she took charge – except from 81,000 Conservative Party members, a tiny and unrepresentative section of the population. Nor did she have any authority for her U-turns, repeatedly changing the government’s fundamental stance on taxes and public spending.
As she announced her decision to resign, Ms Truss said a new prime minister would be chosen within a week. We at The Independent believe this is unacceptable. Who is leading our country should be decided in a general election, not in the strange bubble of yet another Conservative leadership election.
It is time for voters to decide who should govern the country and uphold the democratic principles our governing bodies are built on. And for this reason we are calling for a general election to be held.
It is a simple and fundamental principle that the government derives its democratic legitimacy from the people. The future of the country must not be decided by plotting and U-turns at Westminster; it must be decided by the people in a general election.
