Rejected petition Make it a crime for officials and institutions to knowingly lie to the UK public

Make it a criminal offence for public officials and institutions to knowingly lie or mislead the public in their official capacity. Create clear definitions, independent enforcement, and appropriate penalties such as fines, removal, or prosecution

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There is currently no law preventing public officials or institutions from knowingly lying to the public. This undermines democracy, damages trust, and allows misinformation to spread unchecked. Citizens are held accountable for dishonesty, those in power should be too. When officials knowingly mislead the public, it erodes confidence in government, weakens institutions, and harms unity. Truth in public life is essential. Intentional deception should carry legal consequences.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

The following petition calls for a similar action:

Make it a criminal offence to mislead or lie in public office
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/712668

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 26 July 2025
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