We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce a law to allow parliamentarians, new citizens, members of the armed forces and public officials to swear allegiance to their country, their constituents or to their duties, rather than to the Queen and her heirs and successors.”
Details of Petition:
“The ‘Challenge the Oath’ campaign is calling for an alternative oath to be introduced for those who value democracy over hereditary monarchy. Many people in this country are effectively forced to take insincere oaths of allegiance to an institution they do not support. We believe a legal requirement to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen is discriminatory and unjust. By forcing people to take oaths they do not truly believe we devalue and undermine their importance. We believe there should be a choice of oath for republicans.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
Thank you for your e-petition.
No oath of allegiance is required of most public officials, including civil servants and local government officers. In relation to those groups of whom an oath is required, the oath is constitutionally important because it is a declaration relating to the supremacy of the Sovereign, which is fundamental to our system of government by the Crown-in-Parliament. Oaths of allegiance to the Crown, or affirmations for those who do not wish to swear to God, are sworn by members of certain professions on taking office, as well as by new British citizens. The Government believes the Monarchy is a vital element in our constitution, personifying both national and Commonwealth unity. The Government has no plans to change the wording of the oath.
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