In a move that may send a shiver around the political world, the Welsh government has vowed to ban elected representatives from lying.
Politicians in the governing body of the Senedd came to an agreement ahead of a vote that the Labour-led government was set to lose, the BBC reported.
Under the new agreement, Labour counsel-general Mick Antoniw has agreed to a law that would disqualify elected politicians and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception from being a Member of the Senedd (MS).
The law will be brought in ahead of the upcoming Senedd elections in 2026.
“The Welsh government will bring forward legislation before 2026 for the disqualification of members and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception, though an independent judicial process,” Antoniw said.
The original law, which Antoniw as the government’s chief legal advisor opposed, saying it would stifle political debate, would have given MS’s 14 days to withdraw a false statement.
If successfully prosecuted in the courts, they would have been banned from standing as an MS or candidate for four years.
It’s not yet known what the new law will look like.
Former leader of opposition party Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, said the deal would see Wales become the first country to outlaw political lying.
