[ad_1]
No MP or minister has ever lied in parliament – for the simple reason that it is unparliamentary language to accuse another member of versions of the word “lie” or even to suggest that they might have been deliberately untruthful.
Parliamentarians prefer the euphemism “mislead”, although even that is not considered automatically to be an offence. It becomes punishable only if it is judged to be in “contempt” of the House because it has obstructed or distorted the business of law-making.
It really is easier to get thrown out of the House of Commons for calling someone a liar than for lying itself.
In recent times both the Labour MP Dawn Butler and the SNP leader Ian Blackford were ordered out of the chamber immediately for calling prime minister Boris Johnson out, yet two years after his alleged offences over Partygate, MPs are still deliberating what to do.
There is an urgent need for politicians to put their own houses in order. The perception that they cannot be trusted to be honest is a major factor in politicians falling to new lows in public respect. In an age of fake news, social media, and mass data, citizens should rely on their representatives to give it to them straight.
Two mass surveys conducted after the COVID-19 pandemic for University College London’s Constitution Unit found that “be honest” and “own up when they make mistakes” are the characteristics in a politician most valued by the public.
Some 75% of respondents said politicians “should always act within the rules”, compared to only 6% who said they should be prepared to break them “to get things done”.
MPs are jealously guarding their right to police themselves over lying. Neither the Commons speaker nor the parliamentary commissioner for standards is empowered to rule on the matter.
In 2021, a petition to make knowingly lying to parliament a criminal offence obtained more than 100,000 signatures. This forced the UK government to respond by rejecting the idea. It argued that in…
[ad_2]
