Petition · Cabinet Office
Make Contempt of Parliament a Criminal Offence
Open for signatures
98 signatures
What the petition asks
Currently The House of Commons typically refers allegations of contempt to the Committee of Privileges, a cross-party committee that investigates and reports on the matter. While historical powers once allowed for imprisonment. This needs to change to make it a Criminal Offence.
Currently, "Contempt of Parliament"— for example misleading a House or refusing to testify—is not a criminal offence. We argue that Parliament’s ancient powers to punish contempt are now unenforceable, that this creates an accountability gap, and that witnesses can obstruct democracy without the legal consequences that might apply in a Court of Law.
We call for contempt of Parliament to be made a statutory criminal offence to:
Ensure Select Committees can compel evidence and are not mislead.
Show no one is above democratic oversight.
We call for contempt of Parliament to be made a statutory criminal offence to:
Ensure Select Committees can compel evidence and are not mislead.
Show no one is above democratic oversight.
Timeline
| 24 Apr 2026 | Petition opened for signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
98
Status
Open for signatures
Department
Cabinet Office
Opened
24 Apr 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.