Dear supporter,

This week there was an incredibly moving day in Parliament.

The Hillsborough Law, more formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, completed its Commons stages with the House united behind a principle that should never have needed to be fought for: victims and bereaved families should not have to battle the very systems designed to protect them in order to uncover the truth.

For decades, the Hillsborough families were forced to do exactly that. Their courage and resilience helped bring about a law designed to ensure greater candour and accountability from public authorities and officials. It was an important moment, and one that belongs first and foremost to them.

For us, it also means that another important piece of work can move forward.

Earlier this year, we worked with Labour MP Luke Myer to table amendments to the Bill which would close a serious loophole in its new offence of misleading the public.

As currently drafted, that offence  only applies to public officials. This means Ministers may be covered because of the public office they hold, while backbench MPs and opposition frontbenchers may not be. 

This leaves a dangerous loophole where an opposition leader could face no legal consequences for the same serious and deliberate deception that could expose a Minister to prosecution.

More than 30 MPs formally backed Luke’s amendments, with many more expressing their support. But while the future of the Bill itself remained uncertain, the fate of our amendments hung in the balance too.

Now that the Bill has been unblocked and is moving forward, our campaign can move forward with it.

Luke Myer MP spoke in yesterday’s debate and together we will be pressing the new government to support the amendments when the Bill enters the House of Lords.

The principle is simple: elected office should require the highest standards of integrity and honesty, and no MP should be allowed to be less honest than another.

This matters because trust in politics is already dangerously low. Around the world we have seen how democracy can be weakened when political deception becomes normalised and largely consequence-free.

The horrific killing of Ann Widdecombe is another sobering reminder of just how fragile our political life can be. Whatever the eventual findings of the investigation, the murder of someone engaged in public life is a shocking reminder of the risks faced by those who enter it.

We must be able to disagree fiercely in politics. But democracy depends on boundaries. Truth matters, accountability matters, and no one should fear violence simply because they enter public life.

More than 200,000 people have already backed our campaign for legal accountability for deliberate political deception. Opinium polling found 72% support, and subsequent Survation polling showed majority support among voters of every major party.

The route forward is open again. Now we need to make the most of it.

We will need your help.

Can you chip in?

With thanks for everything you have done to get us this far,

Jennifer

Jennifer Nadel
Co-Founder, Compassion in Politics