The UK Government has slammed a petition demanding the rest of the country gets to vote in the London Mayoral election. The call for change stems from the idea that London exerts so much influence on the rest of the UK that residents elsewhere should have a say in who leads the capital.
The petition was launched on 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 49,000 signatures, the majority of which are from Essex residents.
It 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.”
What did the Government say?
However the Government was having none of it, and slammed any suggestion of changing the capital’s mayoral voting system. Its response read: “The Government has no plans to extend voting rights for the London Mayor elections to all UK residents.”
“Elected officials in the UK represent a specific area. For example:
• Members of Parliament (MPs) represent their constituencies,
• Mayors represent their city, town, or local authority (council) or combined authorities
• Local councillors represent their wards,
• Police and Crime Commissioners represent their police areas.
“People living in those areas are the ones who vote for their representatives. There are a few exceptions, like Crown servants, British Council staff, and military personnel posted overseas, who vote in the area in the UK where they would be living were it not for their overseas service.
“British citizens resident overseas and registered as overseas electors vote in the area, they were last resident in the UK. The UK Government does not plan to change these rules or allow all UK residents to vote in London Mayor elections.
“The Mayor of London represents the people who live in London. As far as the Government is aware, no major city in the world allows people outside the local area to vote for their mayor.”
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.
Stay in the loop with the latest North London news. Sign up to our MyNorthLondon newsletter HERE for daily updates and more.
