COLCHESTER residents are among those calling for a new General Election as an online petition has gathered more than two million signatures in days.

The petition on Parliament’s website calling for another election was started by Michael Westwood.

It reads: “I would like there to be another General Election.

“I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead-up to the last election.”

Colchester Gazette readers have taken to Facebook to discuss the petition and have their say.

Alan Wilkinson said: “Yes I’ve signed. Starmer has stated he prefers Davos over Westminster so he must go, and Reeves has a fraudulent CV and as such her position is untenable. Labour must go.”

Andrew Purdy said: “Starmer needs to go, Trainer needs to go, Reeves needs to go, basically Labour needs to go. If they don’t before May elections they will after.

“I believe Labour could lose a minimum of 60 per cent of their local government seats. I definitely signed it.”

But Andy Mehen said: “Two things on this. First of all, which promises have they broken exactly? They’ve not put income tax, employee national insurance or VAT up, they’ve pumped money into the NHS, the border force and education. Even GB News have had to admit they’ve deported more than 10,000 ‘illegal migrants’.

“Yes, cutting the winter fuel allowance before the state pension goes up next year was poorly timed, but needs to happen as all benefits should be means tested.

“Secondly, a petition for a second EU referendum had six million votes, and was ignored, so this should be too.”

Louise Richards had similar thoughts, saying: “If the reformers want a second vote shall we have a second referendum into Brexit? No. Thought not. It’s not how this works guys. Get over it.”

Michael John Sims said: “Why are people complaining? This is who people wanted. They all knew what Labour was like but still voted them in. You get what you sow.”

David Thwaites agreed, saying: “That’s how British democracy works.

“Otherwise we will have a General Election every six months as opposition to the Government will just set up a petition knowing a couple of million ‘signatures’ will mean another one.”

Ben Roberts added: “All of the people now wanting to turn over the result of a democratic election are the same people who said we can never look again at whether Brexit was a good idea.

“The people have spoken, they said. At the time their loudly expressed view was ‘you lost, stop crying, get over it’. Time for them to heed their own advice.”

Others, however, agreed with the petition, saying they are among the two million who have penned their name.

Kerry Rogers said: “Yes I’ve signed it. This country is on its knees. The elderly have been treated appallingly.”

Some residents argued they would not know what to do if another election was called.

Sally Johns Green said: “Quite honestly, I don’t know who I’d vote for if there was another election. Never Tory, no longer Labour. All of the small amount of trust I ever had in political parties has gone.”

The petition is open for signatures until May 2025.

While the vast majority of those signing it are from the UK, it has also gained support from other countries.

More than 1,200 people from the US have added their name to it, with similar a number from France doing the same.

American signatories may have been made aware of the petition by Elon Musk, the businessman and ally of President-elect Donald Trump.

He shared the petition on X, the social media site he owns formerly known as Twitter, claiming “the people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state”.

Downing Street sought to avoid being drawn into a war of words with Mr Musk.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added Sir Keir was “focused on the issues that matter most to the British people”.