An online petition calling for a no confidence vote in Prime Minister David Cameron has attracted more than 170,000 signatures, obliging Parliament to debate the issue. The date of the debate will be released in seven days.
Signatures on the e-petition published on Parliament’s website rocketed from 121,970 to 178,260 in the space of six days.
It accuses the PM of harming the poorest in society since he took office in 2010.
“The current Tory government has caused devastation for the poorest in society for the last five years. We cannot afford another five years of Tory rule, with the recent welfare reform that will cause nothing but immense poverty in the UK,” it reads.
When Cameron became PM in 2010, he introduced the e-petition initiative to boost transparency and democratic participation.
If petitions on the parliamentary website secure 100,000 signatures, MPs are obliged to hold a debate on the subjects raised.
According to the petition, the debate date will be released in seven days.
Opposition to Cameron stems from years of government austerity policies.
In 2010, Cameron’s government scrapped Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), a weekly £30 grant for 16-18 year old students from poor households in England.
A survey carried out by the Association of Colleges in 2011 found there were 49 percent fewer students in college because they “could not afford” to attend.
In 2012, a YouGov poll for the Police Federation in England and Wales found 63 percent of the public did not trust the PM to maintain an effective police force after he made spending cuts.
More recently, a YouGov poll found that Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is one of Britain’s most popular public figures while Cameron is the most hated.
Downing Street is yet to comment on the petition.
Via RT. This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license.