London (TIP): As the farmers continue to protest against the Centre’s 3 contentious farm laws, the British Parliament’s Petitions Committee on March 8 at around 4:30 pm (UK time) will consider a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons complex on the issue of farmers’ protest and press freedom in India after an online petition attracted over 106,000 signatures. Despite the fact that the list of signatories for the e-petition also reflects a signature of Boris Johnson, West London Conservative Party member of Parliament Downing Street on Wednesday categorically denied that the UK Prime Minister had signed the petition.

Speaking about Press freedom, a UK government spokesperson said that media freedom is vital for the protection of human rights and journalists all around the world must be free to do their job and hold authorities to account without fear of arrest or violence. Stating that a free press plays a crucial role in our democracies, the spokesperson said that the government is putting their full weight behind this including through membership of the Media Freedom Coalition. All of this comes after the petition entitled “Urge the Indian Government to ensure the safety of protestors and press freedom” on the official UK Parliament petition websites crossed the 100,000 signature mark required by the UK government to make an official statement. Any petition that crosses 100,000 signatures must be considered for a debate. Later, the House of Commons said the government’s response to the petition is expected later this month and the debate is under consideration.