MPs must have the right to directly challenge demonstrable lies in Parliament

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

In the era of "Fake News", and genuine news which is branded fake by those it inconveniences so it can be easily dismissed; we need a Parliament which is empowered to directly challenge and expose the damaging lies told in its midst. Not archaic rules of etiquette which stymie honest healthy debate.

Lies damage our democracy & can be tools of oppression for the corrupt.
At present, any minister or MP is at almost total liberty to lie to the House of Commons with near impunity. This is because of naive and archaic rules of etiquette which demand that lies cannot be called lies, even if they can be proved to be lies; because that would offend the honour of the honourable member telling them.
To maintain public faith in our parliamentary democracy, let us disempower the lies & liars within it.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

We understand that you want to see changes to how MPs can challenge statements by other MPs, but it's not clear exactly what changes you want to see.

MPs can already challenge statements made by other MPs, and it is not the case that any minister or MP is at liberty to lie to the House of Commons with impunity.

You could start a petition calling for it to be made illegal for an MP to lie in the House of Commons, if you would like there to be sanctions for MPs who are found guilty of lying.

Timeline

1 Jul 2020	Petition opened for signatures
29 Jul 2020	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 29 Jul 2020

Follow this petition