PETITIONS on the Parliament’s website can no longer be signed due to the death of the Queen, it has emerged.
The Petitions service allows members of the public to put their signature to causes they care about and want to see discussed in Westminster.
Petitions which receive 10,000 signatures prompt a response from the Government, while 100,000 means the subject will be considered for a debate.
Issues submitted range from calls for a General Election to end the “chaos” sparked by the lengthy Conservative leadership contest, to pleas for a minimum pension guarantee for struggling pensioners and requests for an energy price cap for small businesses.
One petition urges the Government to make people on disability benefits eligible for the £650 cost-of-living payment. It has 22,507 signatures so far, and has until December to make it to 100,000.
But those wishing to sign the petition and help take it to the next milestone are unable to do so following the death of Queen Elizabeth, aged 96.
“Following the sad announcement of the passing of Her late Majesty The Queen, petitioning has been paused until further notice,” a message on the website reads.
“Please check back later for more information.”
The update to the service came as MPs spent all day in Parliament paying tribute to the Queen.
Conservative former health secretary Matt Hancock was among the MPs who recalled the late Queen’s love of horses and horse racing in the Commons chamber.
Hancock, whose West Suffolk constituency includes Newmarket racecourse, told the Commons that horse racing was the Queen’s “greatest love outside her duty”.
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts also recalled the Queen’s love of horses.
She told the Commons: “Her love of horses from thoroughbreds to native ponies shone through. You see it in those sparkling smiles.
“Everyone in public life knows you have a public smile, but the photos with the horses, that was her real smile.”
Saville Roberts also said the Queen was a “magnificent role model for older women”, adding: “Historically of course, older women have disappeared from public life. The Queen was a constant, visible figure throughout the 70 years of her reign.”
