First e-petition to reach 100,000 signatures: demand for rioters to be stripped of benefits
The first e-petition has reached the 100,000 signature mark, which means that it will be put forward to be debated before parliament. The subject? Taking state benefits away from rioters.
The petition, posted by Stephen Mains, states: “Any persons convicted of criminal acts during the current London riots should have all financial benefits removed.
“No taxpayer should have to contribute to those who have destroyed property, stolen from their community and shown a disregard for the country that provides for them.”
Demand for signing the petition was so huge that the website crashed several times. The website also crashed multiple times on the day it was first available to the public.
A Commons spokesman said: “We can confirm that the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young, today has formally referred to the Backbench Business Committee the first e-petition on the new Government website to reach the qualifying level of support of 100,000 signatures.
“The e-petition is now eligible for consideration for debate by MPs and in the meantime, the Government will respond to those who have signed the e-petition. It will remain on the site, and people will be able to continue adding their signatures.
“Under the procedures previously announced, it will be for the Committee to decide whether an e-petition should be proposed for debate after the Commons returns from the summer recess.
“There is a minimum of 35 sitting days available in the current parliamentary calendar for the Committee to bring forward non-Governmental business for debate.
“We have said that, due to the longer-than-usual current session which runs until next spring, there will be additional time available for backbench debates.”
Some councils want things to be taken even further, with councils such as Manchester and Salford saying they want to evict people who rioted in the borough where they live. The Manchester police service has taken a strong view on the rioters, and has used Twitter to name and shame offenders.