The public e-Petition system was closed down at the end of May by the former Conservative Government. Along with the image shown here there was also a link on Find out more on the Petitions Committee website which is:

Your petitions and the 2024 General Election: The General Election means that the petitions website and all petitions closed on Thursday 30 May. Those petitions will not reopen after the election.

Why is the petitions site closed? When there is a general election, Parliament closes for a few weeks before the vote, for the election campaign. The petitions website is part of the official work of Parliament, so it had to stop too.

When can I start a new petition?The petitions site will open again once the House of Commons sets up a new Petitions Committee. We don’t know yet exactly when that will happen. You can follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @HoCPetitions for updates, or check back on the petitions site for updates.

So far, since the new Parliament, there has only been one reference on the 18^th July to a ‘petitions committee’. This comment came from the MP Caroline Nokes, Conservative from Romsey and Southampton North, and the Government response was from the Labour MP, Lucy Powell, the Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons. Sadly, there was no comment on the information for e-Petitions. The words are:

Caroline Nokes: Immediately prior to Dissolution, the excellent Backbench Business Committee had granted a debate in the Chamber to discuss the performance of Southern Water. I know that the right hon. Lady will want to respond about sewage, but in fact the debate was to be about its failure to deliver clean water to significant parts of my constituency in addition to its failures on sewage. Will she please reassure me that in the absence of the Backbench Business Committee and the Petitions Committee, the Government will find time for Back Benchers to bring forward important issues that we wish to debate in the Chamber?

Lucy Powell: The right hon. Lady is a fantastic, strong voice in the Chamber. I welcome her and the naughty corner back to their place, albeit on the other side of the House. She makes an important point about an important debate, which I shall certainly pass on. In the absence of Backbench Business debates, we have and will continue to table general debates, and there will be availability for Westminster Hall debates in the usual way as well.

This website has further explanations:

Find out more about e-petitions

E-petitions are an easy way for you to make sure your concerns are heard by Government and Parliament. E-petitions enable members of the public to petition the House of Commons and press for action from the government.

What can e-petitions be about?

E-petitions have to ask for a specific action from the government or the House of Commons and should be about something which the government or the House of Commons is responsible for.

How many signatures will I need to start an e-petition?

A petition will need to be supported by at least six people before it is published on the petitions site for other people to sign. When you start a petition, the petitions site will tell you what you need to do to get five supporters for your petition.

What happens after I submit an e-petition? 

An e-petition will stay open on the e-petitions website for six months. The Petitions Committee will be able to decide to do any of the following with a petition:

• ask for more information in writing—from petitioners, the government, or other relevant people or organisations
• ask for more information in person—from petitioners, the government, or other relevant people or organisations. This might be in Parliament or somewhere else in the UK
• write to the government or another public body to press for action on a petition
• ask another parliamentary committee to look into the topic raised by a petition
• put forward petitions for debate

The Petitions Committee will not be able to take action on every petition. The Committee will use its judgement about which petitions to consider and what action is appropriate for each one.

How will petitions be put forward for debate?

The Petitions Committee can recommend that petitions be debated in Westminster Hall. If the Petitions Committee decides that a petition should be debated in the main House of Commons Chamber, it would take that request to the Backbench Business Committee.