Closed petition Require MPs proven to mislead public to resign and create 'fact check' committee

Government responded

This response was given on 8 May 2025

All MPs should be honest. The elected House of Commons, rather than an outside organisation, should continue to regulate the conduct of MPs, who are directly accountable to their constituents.

Honesty is one of the Seven Principles of Public Life (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2). These principles inform and inspire the House of Commons Code of Conduct (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/commons/hoc-code-of-conduct/), to which all MPs must adhere.

The Government believes that MPs have a responsibility to provide accurate information to the public and to Parliament. However, it would not be appropriate to establish a fact-checking committee that would have the authority to determine the accuracy of an MP's language.

The House of Commons, which is made up of elected representatives, is responsible for regulating the conduct of MPs, and it is here that the responsibility should remain. Additionally, individual MPs are directly accountable to their constituents, who determine who should represent them at each general election. Any decision to resign is a matter for individual MPs.

Within the House of Commons itself, the language MPs use is protected by parliamentary privilege (https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/parliamentary-privilege/). This ensures that MPs, who are the voice of their constituents in Parliament, are able to speak freely without fear of legal proceedings being brought against them. It is right that MPs' speech in the House is protected in this way: it ensures that debate remains free and robust.

Nevertheless, as demonstrated in recent years, there are mechanisms available to the House to sanction MPs for any false statements made. In some cases, where an MP may have misled the House, the House can ask the Committee of Privileges (https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/289/committee-of-privileges/) to investigate and recommend an appropriate sanction.

If, following a report of the Committee of Privileges, the House suspends an MP for at least 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days, this triggers the recall process under the Recall of MPs Act 2015, allowing the MP’s constituents to decide whether a by-election should take place.

In addition, if MPs provide incorrect information to Parliament, they are expected to correct the record of parliamentary proceedings (Hansard). MPs can do so by making a "point of order" in the Chamber or by submitting a written correction, a procedure used 18 times (https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/hansard/hansard-corrections/) in the 2023-24 session of Parliament.

Finally, MPs who are ministers must follow the Ministerial Code (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-code), which states that "[i]t is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity." The Code adds that "[m]inisters who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister."

Office of the Leader of the House of Commons