A measure that would make it a criminal offence for politicians to mislead the public, has been put forward in Parliament today by Labour MP, Luke Meyer.

The move comes as fresh polling is released showing strong public support for the measure. Polling conducted for the think-tank Compassion in Politics by Survation found that just 1 in 10 opposed the idea. 

The measure which is an amendment to the Public Accountability Bill, also known as the Hillsborough Law, would mean that politicians could, for the first time, face criminal sanctions for misleading the public.

The Bill makes it a criminal offence for public servants to mislead the public but not for the politicians whom they work for. The measures’ supporters argue that at the moment the Bill risks creating a two-tier system where politicians can mislead the public but not those who work for them.  

Myer’s amendment will get rid of that anomaly by extending the provisions of the Bill to include all politicians and parliamentary candidates.

The measure has cross party support including from Labour MP Ian Byrne who is the Parliamentary Lead for the Hillsborough Law and himself a survivor of the tragedy.

Compassion in Politics, the cross-party think tank that has led a seven-year campaign for the measure, says the amendment is an essential democratic safeguard at a time when political power is increasingly built on repetition, distortion and deliberate falsehoods, and when public trust in politics is at historic lows.

Recent events in the United States have demonstrated how unchecked political lying can hollow out democratic institutions from within. The organisation argues that the UK should act now to ensure that no Trump-like figure can exploit systemic weaknesses in accountability.

The Bill’s existing safeguards  would apply to the amendment meaning that a prosecution couldn’t be brought without the consent of the Director of Public Prosecution and would apply only in the most serious and egregious cases of deliberate deception. 

Jennifer Nadel, CEO of Compassion in Politics, said:

“When lies travel faster than the truth, democracy becomes dangerously easy to game. This amendment is about drawing a clear line: deliberately deceiving the public in order to gain or retain power is not politics as usual, it is an abuse of trust. If we want to rebuild faith in democracy and bring disillusioned voters back into the system, honesty in public life has to mean something in law, not just in principle.”

Luke Meyer MP said:

“This amendment is a proportionate, carefully safeguarded response to a real democratic risk. It is not about stifling debate or political disagreement, it is about ensuring that those who seek or hold public office cannot deliberately and knowingly mislead the public without consequence. The polling shows that voters across the political spectrum expect Parliament to act.”

The amendments have been developed with pro bono legal support from Bates Wells, who advised on parliamentary drafting and safeguards.

A spokesperson for Bates Wells said:
“The Hillsborough Bill is an important and ambitious piece of legislation. Bates Wells are proud to contribute to the public debate and development of the Bill by providing pro bono support to Compassion in Politics on these amendments. At a time when trust in our democratic systems is declining, Compassion in Politics is right to question whether the offence of misleading the public should expressly apply to parliamentarians and candidates in parliamentary elections. The intricacies of parliamentary drafting and convention can often be a barrier to campaigners for social change, and we are glad to have leveraged our expertise to support Compassion in Politics in their mission.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The idea of a law to criminalise lying by politicians has received overwhelming support from the British public for a number of years. Polling conducted by Opinium for Compassion in Politics in 2020 found that 72% of respondents favoured criminal sanctions for politicians who lie. More than 200,000 people have signed a public petition calling for the law and the measure was introduced as a Private Members Bill by Liz Saville-Roberts MP in 2022.
2. In 2024, as a result of the campaign led by Compassion in Politics’ Campaign, the Welsh Government committed to introduce legislation to disqualify politicians and candidates who deliberately mislead the public from office.
3. Safeguards in the Bill:
   - The offence has a high legal threshold and applies only to the most serious and egregious cases of deliberate deception.
   - The conduct must be seriously improper, dishonest, and cause or risk harm.
   - Prosecutions may only be brought with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
   - The offence does not apply to political opinion, inadvertent error, everyday political debate, individual conversations with constituents, or journalism.
   - Parliamentary privilege is preserved.
4. 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.
5. About Bates Wells:
   Bates Wells is the only law firm with a “Roll A” Parliamentary Agent, a specialist type of lawyer authorised to promote private bills in Parliament, focused on charitable and nonprofit matters. The firm also has a top-ranked electoral law and campaigning practice and an expert public and regulatory law team. This rare combination has enabled Bates Wells to support Compassion in Politics with these amendments on a pro bono basis.
6. About the Polling from Survation:

Survation undertook this research on behalf of Compassion in Politics. Fieldwork was carried out between 14th and 18th November 2025 on a population of 2,082 residents aged 18+ living in the UK. The survey was conducted online with differential response rates from different demographic groups taken into account. Data were weighted to the profile of all adults in the UK aged 18+. Modelling based on 38Degrees' and Survation's progressive majority voting groups was then applied, more details about which can be found on the 38Degrees or Survation websites