Tory MP says online petitions must count

Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, has today tabled an Early Day Motion urging parliament to accept petitions in electronic format.

Currently campaigners must present a written and signed petition in paper form but, according to Shapps, it is time government caught up with the widespread adoption of the internet in homes across the country.

Shapps told silicon.com as long as there is the same level of personal identification to verify the signatory – name, address and email address, for example – then they should absolutely be accepted.

But this isn't so online petitions, which spread virally, can blow MPs away with millions of signatures, Shapps said. It will still be important to keep issues local for greater success.

He said: "What I don't think is much of a runner is to create a petition around an issue which is cross-constituency. Although the internet is of course global, to have maximum impact with a petition I believe you still need to keep it massively localised."

As such, Shapps said those setting up petitions need to look at ways of using the internet to get the whole community behind a local issue - rather than assuming the massive wins to be had through viral marketing and a million-man petition will be more beneficial.

He told silicon.com he has also today written to the speaker and the serjeant at arms urging them to consider reform.

However, Shapps has his concerns about the likelihood of success.

While he is very tech-savvy, he said, the relevance of the issue will be lost on a number of MPs: "I don't think there will be any opposition. It will just be an issue of how many MPs are willing to sign up."