North East MP calls to criminalise politicians lying

Luke Myer, Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, has proposed an amendment to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as the Hillsborough Law, aiming to hold politicians legally accountable for deliberately misleading the public.

The bill, which is due to be voted on in the House of Commons on Wednesday January 14, focuses on making it a crime for senior figures such as the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers to intentionally deceive the public.

Mr Myer’s amendment would extend this to all MPs and members of the House of Lords.

He said: “People are tired of feeling like there is one rule for them and another for those in power.

“These amendments are a proportionate, safeguarded way to help rebuild trust.

“If politicians deliberately lie to the public, there should be consequences.”

The proposed change comes amid strong public support.

A Survation poll conducted for the think tank Compassion in Politics found that only one in ten people oppose the idea of punishing politicians for lying.

The majority of voters across all political parties support the proposal.

Mr Myer’s amendment has gained cross-party backing, including from Labour MP Ian Byrne, who leads work on the Hillsborough Law, as well as Green MP Ellie Chowns and Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts.

If the amendment passes, it would mark the first time that MPs and Lords could face criminal charges for deliberately deceiving the public.

Jennifer Nadel, CEO of Compassion in Politics, which has campaigned for seven years for such a law, voiced her support.

She 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.”

If Mr Myer’s amendment is accepted, it would significantly broaden the scope of who could be prosecuted under the proposed legislation.