I
t would be reasonable to assume our legislators would do all they could to restore their tattered reputation at a time when distrust
of politicians is at an all-time high.
But when the BBC commissioned a documentary exploring whether MPs were willing to pass a law that would allow them to be prosecuted for
lying to the electorate, it prompted an angry backlash from those who frame Britain's laws.
Former Home Secretary Michael Howard told the programme makers: 'It's the stupidest idea I've ever heard.' Another former Home
Secretary, Jack Straw, said the BBC was accusing all MPs of being 'charlatans and liars'. The Tory MP for Bournemouth West, Sir John
Valentine Butterfill, said 'anarchy would reign' if ordinary voters were allowed to sue a Parliamentarian
for lying.
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A BBC film will show that our politicians refuse to be confined to the truth, writes patrick sawer |
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One Tory MP even went as far as to try to get his on-camera interview dropped from the one-hour programme, Why Democracy? The Ministry
of Truth, to be broadcast this week on BBC2.
Film-maker Richard Simons, of Spirit Level Films, quizzed 46 MPs to see how many of them would back a private member's bill creating a
legal mechanism allowing a member of the public to prosecute an MP for lying.
This would be called the Misrepresentation of the People's Act and would leave parliamentarians open to prosecution for lying, much in
the same way that the Trade Descriptions Act protects consumers from dishonest claims and statements.
But, while around a quarter said the idea was worth debating, the rest either argued that existing self-regulation was good enough to
ensure MPs and Ministers 
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Gordon Brown, flashier than you might think
'Bottler Brown' still has the edge
What The Papers Say
