This petition was submitted during the 2017-2019 parliament
Petition Make it illegal for any UK politician to lie or mislead the public.
We the UK general public are sick to death of politicians that cannot be trusted, too many openly lie to the people and media, then laugh it off when caught out and nothing is ever done.
We demand honest representation from politicians to ensure our democracy is protected for the people.
More details
The misconduct in public office offence presents a good starting place for the offence.
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/misconduct_in_public_office/
- An elected representative.
- Wilfully lies or deceives the public or news media to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust in elected office.
- Will be guilt of the offence.
- Excuses or justification should only function in mitigation of sentence not guilt; a lie is a lie.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 5 January 2018
The 7 principles of public life apply to all those who hold public office and form the basis of ethical standards expected of holders of public office as set out in their respective Codes of Conduct.
Read the response in full
The seven principles of public life apply to those who hold public office. This includes people who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally.
The principles also form the basis of ethical standards expected of holders of public office as set out in their respective Codes of Conduct.
The principles were first set out in 1995 by Lord Nolan, the founding Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) and are as relevant today as they were in 1995.
The Seven Principles of Public life are:
Selflessness
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
Integrity
Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
Objectivity
Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
Openness
Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for doing so.
Honesty
Holders of public office should be truthful.
Leadership
Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.
Cabinet Office