Welsh Government urged to ban lying politicians

A call has been made to the Welsh Government to commit to a Bill that would make lying an offence in the Senedd.
The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS has backed a motion to the Senedd Cymru (Candidates list) which would see it become an offence for a Senedd member, or a candidate standing for election to the Senedd, to purposely make a false or misleading statement.
According to a poll from IPSOs, only 9% of the British public believe that politicians can be trusted to say the truth.
The Welsh Lib Dems have backed the anti-lying motion, as part of their campaign to clean up Welsh politics.
Speaking to the Siambr on Tuesday, Jane Dodds MS urged Counsel General Julie James to confirm the Welsh Government’s commitment to making deceit an offence in the Senedd, stating that it would be “cruelly ironic if this critical legislation fails to pass due to the Government wavering on its commitment.”
She said: “Failing to deliver on this promise to clean up Welsh politics would not only undermine the agreement made between Welsh Labour and the Senedd, but it would also further erode public trust in our elected institutions, trust which is already at a historic low.
“In the past few months, we have seen a flurry of scandals that have rocked the Welsh Government, damaging public perception of an executive that should’ve been focusing on the issues affecting our healthcare and public services instead of fighting internal fires.
“We cannot carry on like this, the people of Wales deserve a political system that works for them and not against them,” she added.