A petition is underway to extend the vote for the Mayor of London to all UK residents. It comes from the idea that the capital can exert so much influence on the rest of the nation that residents elsewhere should have a say in who leads London.
The petition began today (Tuesday, May 9) and will remain open for six months, as per the UK Parliament website regulations. It was started by a man named John Taylor and at the time of writing has amassed over 3,000 signatures.
Once a petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the government will formally respond. And at 100,000 signatures, the request will be considered by the Petitions Committee for a Parliamentary debate.
The petition reads: “Only people who live in Greater London are allowed to vote for candidates in the Mayoral elections.
“We think London carries so much influence across the globe and the majority of UK residents have no say as to who ‘heads up’ and manages our great city, and we should. London belongs to us all.
“We believe London, our Capital City, is different to every other city in the country and belongs to every man, woman and child throughout the UK. It is our largest city and is one of the most influential cities across the globe.
“As such, we think all UK residents should have a say as to who holds the position of Chief Executive of the Greater London Authority.
“When it comes to voting for our London Mayor I would like Parliament to allow all eligible UK residents to be able to vote, not just Londoners.”
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