Law to make it illegal to lie in Welsh elections passed

The Welsh Parliament has passed a law to make it illegal for candidates to lie during Senedd elections.

The new law paves the way for a new criminal offence to make false or misleading statements of fact to help an election candidate.

It was agreed despite warnings that the powers could limit free speech and hinder democratic debate while voters decide what party to support.

The law would not come into effect until 2030 at the earliest and will not apply to May's elections.

The bill also establishes a recall system, giving the public the opportunity to kick out politicians who have misbehaved from the Welsh Parliament in between elections.

Only one politician voted against the legislation, with 50 backing it on Tuesday night.

During the final debate the counsel general Julie James, who introduced the bill, dubbed the legislation "ground-breaking" and said it would ensure the next Senedd "recognises and demonstrates the paramount importance of the accountability of members to those who have placed them here".

Plaid Cymru's Adam Price, who has campaigned on this issue for decades said: "No parliament has required government by law to prohibit deliberate falsehood across the breadth of electoral speech.

"That is the step Wales takes tonight".

Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Jane Dodds told the Senedd she had previously spoken about a crisis of trust in politics.

She added: "This bill is meant to respond to that crisis of trust, it's our statement that the Senedd will not tolerate members whose behaviour undermines our institution."

Despite the support there was still some reservations, the Conservatives Paul Davies, said that there was "still a risk that the bill could unintentionally constrain legitimate debate and political expression.

He stressed it was "important that any new system is proportionate, workable and capable of delivering the outcomes intended".

Ministers had vowed to take action against lying in politics after a similar proposal almost became law against the Welsh government's wishes in 2024, when Vaughan Gething was first minister.

Supporters of a ban on lying have argued that it could help rebuild trust and confidence in political institutions.

The law places a duty on Welsh ministers to "prohibit the making or publishing of false or misleading statements of fact before or during an election" for the purpose of helping the election of a candidate.

Concerns were raised in January that the law would provide "extraordinary" powers to limit free speech.

One committee said the Welsh government was asking the Senedd to "give its endorsement to the creation of a new serious criminal offence which is undefined and could have life-defining repercussions".

Another warned the way it was written risked allowing a future government to "seriously hinder full and proper democratic discourse during an election campaign".

It criticised the lack of a consultation, and the fact it does not define exactly what a "false or misleading" statement is, to who it would apply or how.

Instead, it requires Welsh ministers to create a criminal offence only after the bill becomes law.

Members of the Senedd who break behaviour rules could also face a one-off vote within their constituency on whether they should continue to serve in Cardiff Bay.

But unlike in Westminster the politician would be replaced with someone else from the same party.

Similarly the recall process will not be effective immediately - guidelines on what type of offence will trigger a recall process will not happen until after the next election.

The bill also makes further changes to the Senedd's standards process, allowing for lay members from outside of the Welsh Parliament to be appointed to the standards committee, which they hope will bring external expertise and independence to the committee's work.

It also give the standards commissioner new powers to open their own investigation rather than relying on complaints from others.