MP Briefing - Amendments 13–18 to the Public Accountability Bill (Hillsborough Law)

Tabled by Luke Meyer MP

SUMMARY

These cross-party amendments extend the Public Accountability Bill’s offence of deliberately misleading the public so that it applies to Members of both Houses of Parliament and parliamentary candidates. This closes a significant accountability gap that would otherwise leave politicians exempt from standards already applied to other public office holders.

THE CURRENT ANOMALY

As drafted, the Bill makes it a criminal offence for public servants to deliberately mislead the public, but does not apply the same standard to the politicians they serve. This creates a two-tier system of accountability.

Amendments 13–18 close that gap by bringing parliamentarians and parliamentary candidates into line with other public office holders already covered by the Bill, ensuring equal standards of honesty in the exercise of public power.

PROTECTING HONEST POLITICIANS

These amendments are designed to support, not undermine, parliamentarians who act in good faith by:

  • Ensuring dishonest actors cannot gain unfair advantage through deliberate deception
  • Maintaining a level playing field for democratic competition
  • Strengthening public trust in Parliament and democratic institutions
  • Providing clarity about the standards expected of those seeking or holding high public office

ROBUST SAFEGUARDS

The amendments retain all of the Bill’s existing safeguards and apply only in the most serious cases.

1. HIGH LEGAL THRESHOLD

  • Conduct must be seriously improper, dishonest, and cause or risk harm
  • Applies only to deliberate deception, not error, misunderstanding, or robust political debate

2. PROSECUTORIAL SAFEGUARD

  • Any prosecution must be brought by, or with the consent of, the Director of Public Prosecutions
  • Provides independent oversight and protection against politically motivated cases

3. EXPLICIT EXCLUSIONS

The offence does not apply to:

  • Political opinion or policy disagreement
  • Inadvertent errors or mistakes
  • Everyday political debate
  • Individual conversations with constituents
  • Journalism

4. PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE PRESERVED

  • All existing parliamentary protections remain fully intact

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

Democratic institutions globally are under increasing pressure from systematic disinformation. Recent events in the United States have demonstrated how unchecked political deception can erode public trust and democratic norms.

The UK has a strong democratic tradition, but no system is immune to erosion without clear safeguards. These amendments provide a proportionate, carefully drafted protection without restricting legitimate political discourse.

PUBLIC SUPPORT

Survation polling (November 2025, n=2,082):

  • A majority of voters in every political party support criminal sanctions for politicians who deliberately mislead the public
  • Only around 1 in 10 oppose

Opinium polling (2020):

  • 72% supported criminal sanctions for political lying
  • Over 200,000 people signed a public petition calling for such a law

This demonstrates both strong current support and sustained public backing over time for stronger accountability.

CROSS-PARTY CONTEXT

Previous related legislation was introduced by Liz Saville-Roberts MP (Plaid Cymru) in 2022. In 2024, the Welsh Government committed to introducing legislation to disqualify politicians and candidates who deliberately mislead the public from office.

These amendments reflect a growing cross-party recognition that protecting democratic integrity benefits all parties.

LEGAL SUPPORT

The amendments have been developed with pro bono legal support from Bates Wells, the only law firm with a “Roll A” Parliamentary Agent, ensuring technical compliance with parliamentary convention and constitutional safeguards.

TIMELINE

  • Amendments tabled: Thursday 9 January
  • Deadline for MPs to add names: Close of play Tuesday 14 January
  • Report Stage: Wednesday 15 January

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Compassion in Politics
Email: [email protected]

About Compassion in Politics

Compassion in Politics is a cross-party think tank working to restore trust, integrity and humanity in public life. It campaigns for evidence-based reforms to strengthen democracy, including laws to deter deliberate political deception. It provides the Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Compassionate Politics, which is chaired by Kim Leadbeater MP and has nearly 60 parliamentary members.