This petition was submitted during the 2015 to 2017 Parliament
Closed petition Make political claims subject to advertising standards laws.
Closed on
A company making false claims in order to sell its products is liable to prosecution. Any politician, candidate or political party making false claims should also be prosecuted.
10,762 signatures
Petition progress
View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.
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Petition closed
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Government responded to this petition
There are already laws prohibiting false statements about candidates. Beyond this, it is for rival campaigners to challenge inaccurate arguments as part of the normal course of political debate.
Read the response in full
The Representation of the People Act 1983 sets out that a person is guilty of an illegal practice if, before or during an election, they aim to affect the result by making or publishing a false statement in relation to a candidate’s personal character or conduct.
The accuracy of arguments advanced in the course of an election or referendum is not subject to regulation. It is for rival campaigners to challenge and rebut arguments they perceive to be inaccurate as part of the normal course of political debate.
Cabinet Office
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Government will respond to this petition
This petition got more than 10,000 signatures meaning that government will respond to it.
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Petition published
This petition can now be signed.
If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.
If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
This petition will stay open until 3 May 2017.