Advocacy and Lobbying

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How to advocate/lobby for the implementation of catfishing laws:

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• Create a Petition to the UK Parliament​

  • Petition Here

    • First you create a petition by describing the change you want to make

      • It takes 5 signatures for the website coordinators to ensure that the petition meets petition standards

      • You then need to make 100,000 signatures on the petition

        • This then requires parliament to address the petition in a debate.

          • Unfortunately there is no guarantee that this will be made into law but it is the best one can hope for without outright introducing legislation.

        • If the petition is accepted then the process of introducing legislation is triggered.

    • The beginning of this process is that an MP introduces a written bill to a relevant committee.

      • This committee will then either reject it or confirm it as being in the legislative programme.

        • This also requires the approval of a cabinet committee.

      • If it has made it past this then it goes to the relevant department and is assigned a bill team to set the foundations of the bill and it reasoning.

        • There is much internal deliberation and advice with policy lawyers. There may also be insight required from devolved administrations. This will be compiled with many other documents to a draft bill and explanatory notes and such other documents. These need then to be confirmed by a cabinet committee.

      • Some bills then are publish for consultation and also other are given to parliamentary committees for pre-legislative scrutiny.

    • After these considerations if they are relevant the bill the goes into the legislative process. The bill may begin in either the house of commons or the house of lords.

      • There is the first reading in which only its title is read,

      • The second reading is more substantive and is the forum of the main debate over the bill.

        • No amendments are made at this stage. 

      • A vote is then taken, if passed it will move on if not it is dead.

      • It then moves on to the committee stage where a special committee of MPs is formed and look at the bill and  add amendments if they deem this relevant.

        • There may be negotiations about the actual body that this bill takes but this is where the final form more or less comes to fruition.

        • If amendments are made they will need the permission of the PBL committee.

        • Evidence will also be heard at this stage for the bill meaning that stakeholders may be able to testify and offer their opinions.

        • After this is goes to this house of lords and and commons and they discuss amendments in what is called the report stage.

      • There will then be a third reading where the house of lords can table amendments and the house of commons will hold a general discussion.

    • Then if no further amendments are made or proposed and both houses of Parliament pass the bill it will become an act as soon as it receives royal assent or whenever it shall take effect. This is all per the Cabinet Offices Guidance on The Legislative Process: taking a bill through Parliament.​

  • Here is a current petition you can sign

    • Make Catfishing a Specific Criminal Offense Under Coercive Control Laws 

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How to advocate/lobby for the implementation of catfishing laws:

• Create a Petition to the UK Parliament​

  • Petition Here

  • Here is a current petition you can sign

    • Make Catfishing a Specific Criminal Offense Under Coercive Control Laws 

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