UPDATE: July 2024 Welsh Labour commits to outlawing deliberate deception for politicians, see below.

It's time to end the lies.

From party-gate to poverty statistics, lying has become an all-too-common occurrence in our politics.

It doesn't have to be this way.

The problem is that no rules exist to prevent a politician from lying to the public.

A customer can claim compensation if they have been misled by a business but a rogue politician can lie to the electorate with impunity.

For the sake of our democracy, this has to change.

That is why Compassion in Politics has worked with lawyers to create a new Bill which would require politicians are honest with the public.

In effect, it would take the rules that already exist to prevent misrepresentation in business and apply them directly to politics.

It would mean that rogue politicians would face consequences for repeatedly lying to the public. It would mean politicians were duty-bound to tell the truth.

How the law works​​

"14 days to clarify, correct or retract a statement of fact if challenged. Or choose to defend it in court"​​

This simple mechanism prevents lies and also makes politicians act honourably instead of fuelling the crisis in public trust.

Across the UK, 91% of people don't trust politicians.​​​​​​​​​ In London, it's 97% and 98% for under 24's.​​

“Trust in politicians has fallen below previous lowest  score, recorded after the 2009 expenses crisis.”

Mike Clemence

Co-author IPSOS Veracity Index