19-02-2025
Welsh politicians caught lying could lose seats in Senedd
Members of the Senedd who lie could lose their seats under new recommendations being made to the Welsh the Senedd's Standards of Conduct Committee has stopped short of recommending that deliberate deception be made a criminal offence - to be investigated by the police and prosecuted in the committee said the existing standards regime should be strengthened, with the ultimate sanction of a referendum-style vote in an MS's constituency to decide whether they stay in the plans the Senedd's standards commissioner would also have the power to start their own investigation, rather than wait for a complaint, and could compel an MS to issue a correction.
If they do not make that correction then they would be considered to have broken the rules, or code of conduct, and face tougher report also called for lay members, from outside the Senedd, to join the standards has been the case in the House of Commons' equivalent committee since 2015, using people from outside the institution with relevant knowledge to bring an "independent and external perspective" to the Welsh government accepts the plans then MSs would be subject to a beefed-up code of conduct with a rule to act "truthfully" replaced with an explicit instruction to refrain from making deliberately inaccurate are currently considering a previous committee report which recommended the Senedd introduce a "recall" procedure which would give voters the chance to remove MS's who had their latest report the committee concluded that introducing a criminal offence risked unintended consequences which might outweigh any had heard evidence that it might overwhelm police and the criminal justice system - which is already facing severe backlogs - and that any allegations of deliberate deception would have to reach the criminal committee also wanted one standards system, and not have lying treated separately and seen as more serious than other the circumstances were deemed serious enough - subject to a recommendation from the committee and a vote in the Senedd - committee members felt that the ultimate decision should lie with the electorate to recall their Senedd member.
'Rebuild public trust'
Under the plans the disciplinary procedure would remain standards commissioner would investigate, the committee would consider the report and recommend a sanction before the Senedd would vote on MS falling foul of the new rules would have a note about the case on their biography on the Senedd committee also called on the Welsh government to clearly define deliberate Blythyn, the Labour MS who chairs of the Senedd's standards committee, said: "Toughening rules for Members of the Senedd and candidates standing for election is critical at a time when public trust in our institutions is low."By strengthening the law governing elections, toughening our code of conduct and giving more power and independence to those investigating complaints, we can start to rebuild public trust in our political institutions and support a parliament fit for the future."Committee members considered three options:To create a criminal offence of deception which would end up in the criminal courtsTo use an existing investigative body - the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has been mentioned and gave evidence to the committee - and to bring in a civil sanction such as a fineStrengthen the MS code of conduct and beef up the available sanctions, meaning it would be dealt with through the Senedd's disciplinary proceduresFour members not on the standards committee, so called "observer members", also took part in the of them - Labour MS Lee Waters, Plaid Cymru's Adam Price and the Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds - favoured an independent process involving a criminal or civil supported improvements to the standards system but did not think it would go far enough to meet what the Welsh government had promised the public and the Senedd.
How did we get here?
Former counsel general Mick Antoniw, who is now a member of the standards committee, had made a commitment that the Welsh government would legislate in time for the 2026 Senedd election for the disqualification of members and candidates found guilty of deception through an independent judicial made the concession after the government looked set to lose a vote on the issue, which could have led to the creation of a law that would have made lying a specific criminal offence.A separate set of rules would apply to candidates standing in a Senedd committee recommended broadening the UK Representation of the People Act to include deliberate deception, which the Welsh government already has the power to the moment it is a criminal offence to make a false statement about an opponent's conduct or character.A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The Standards of Conduct Committee has produced a detailed and thorough report into deliberate deception as part of its inquiry into member accountability. "We will now consider its findings and recommendations before responding formally."
