How UK parliamentary petitions work
Anyone who is a British citizen or UK resident can create or sign a petition on the official Parliament petitions site. Each petition normally stays open for six months, and two signature thresholds matter:
The government must publish a written response, which appears on the petition's official page.
The petition is considered for a debate in Parliament - usually in Westminster Hall - scheduled by the cross-party Petitions Committee.
Reaching a threshold guarantees consideration, not a change in the law: petitions force issues onto the agenda and oblige ministers to state a position publicly, rather than directly triggering legislation. The tracker above ranks open petitions by live signature counts and shows each one's progress towards both thresholds, pulled directly from the official Parliament Petitions API.
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Frequently asked questions
What happens when a petition reaches 10,000 signatures?
At 10,000 signatures the government is committed to publishing a written response to the petition, which appears on the petition's official page. This tracker marks petitions that have crossed the response threshold.
What happens at 100,000 signatures?
At 100,000 signatures a petition is considered for debate in Parliament, usually in Westminster Hall. The Petitions Committee decides whether and when to schedule the debate; a debate is a discussion, not a binding vote to change the law.
Who can sign a UK parliamentary petition?
British citizens and UK residents can create and sign petitions on the official Parliament petitions website. Each petition normally remains open for six months from creation.
Do petitions actually change anything?
Petitions guarantee a government response and possible parliamentary debate rather than a change in the law. Their main effect is agenda-setting: forcing ministers to state a position publicly and giving MPs a hook to press an issue.