MPs' Guide to Procedure

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Find guidance on temporary procedures during the pandemic including voting, questions and statements. Members can find detailed guidance on participating virtually and voting on the Parliamentary intranet (please note: this link will only work if you have a parliamentary email account.)

Rules for e-petitions

The Petitions Committee checks e-petitions before accepting or rejecting them. An e-petition must:

  • be created and signed by British citizens or UK residents
  • be signed by at least five people, as well as the original petitioner
  • be different from existing e-petitions
  • make a clear, serious request about something that the Government or Parliament is responsible for (for example, it can’t be about things that are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament (Senedd Cymru) or Northern Ireland Assembly)
  • use moderate and respectful language

An e-petition must not:

  • contain material that is offensive, confidential, libellous, false or campaigning for a particular political party
  • concern a matter before the courts

There is no rule that prevents MPs or peers from starting an e-petition. The Petitions Committee has agreed that priority for debating time will be given to e-petitions started by the public. This is because MPs have other opportunities to get time for debates.