Petition forces Commons debate on early general election

Debate could embarrass Liz Truss but cannot force her to go to country

The House of Commons is to debate a 575,000-signature petition calling for an early general election.

The three-hour debate will be held on 17 October and a government minister will have to attend to make the case for allowing the parliamentary term to continue.

However, the protocol for debates on public petitions means that no vote can be taken by MPs to force an early election as a result.