Petition calls for MSs who leave their party to give up their seats

A petition asking for list-elected Members of the Senedd to lose their seats if they leave the party that elected them has passed the threshold for committee discussion. The Senedd’s live petition record showed 1,838 signatures when checked on the evening of 23 September. It remains open until 15 October.

What the petition asks for

The proposal would hand the seat to the next eligible candidate on the original party list. Its argument is that a vote for a party should continue to determine who holds that seat. This is a request for a different rule, not an adopted policy or a change in the law.

What happens under the current rules

The Senedd’s reform guidance says Members can change parties or become independent. Leaving a party does not itself create a vacancy. If a Member later gives up their seat, the next eligible candidate comes from the list on which they were originally elected, even if they have since joined another party. There is no by-election. An independent Member’s vacant seat, or a vacancy where no eligible list candidate remains, stays empty until the next election.

What the signatures do, and do not, trigger

Petitions with more than 250 signatures are discussed by the Petitions Committee. More than 10,000 brings consideration for a Senedd debate, not an automatic debate or a change in the law. The record says this petition reached the referral threshold on 22 September, but did not yet list a referral date or scheduled debate when checked. The two stages should not be confused with a vote approving the proposal.