Some time ago, I wrote an item about lying in politics, and mentioned a proposal in Wales to outlaw political lying through legislation1. That legislation has now passed the Senedd Cymru (the Welsh parliament) and is named theMember Accountability and Elections Bill. It was passed on 17 March 2026 by a 50-1 vote2. The one vote against it was from a member of Farage’s Reform Party; the modus operandi of Reform is lying on which this legislation impinges. This act is now law as it has received Royal assent.
It is often described as a ground-breaking or world-first attempt to tackle deliberate deception in politics, but it is narrowly focused on Senedd election campaigns (and future recall elections). It does not create a general ban on politicians lying while in office or outside election periods2.
The Bill aims to enhance the accountability of Senedd Members “by strengthening the systems that currently exist that regulate and sanction their behaviour and conduct.” It also seeks to address misinformation during elections. The Bill has three main parts. Part 1 introduces a recall system, allowing voters to remove Members between elections; Part 2 reforms the Senedd’s standards procedures; and Part 3 requires Welsh government ministers to introduce, in future, a criminal offence of making or publishing false or misleading factual statements during elections3.
The Part 1 recall system is like that used for MPs in the UK Parliament, and is based on recommendations from the Senedd Standards of Conduct (SCC) Committee. A recall poll can be triggered in two situations:
A: where a Member is convicted of a criminal offence and receives a prison sentence of 12 months or less (longer sentences already lead to disqualification).
B: where the Senedd votes to have a recall poll following a report from the SCC Committee recommending recall.
In a recall poll, voters decide whether the Member should remain in office. If a Member is removed, their seat is filled by the next person on their party’s list (except for independent Members)3.
Part 2 reforms standards procedures by adding lay members to the SCC Committee to increase independent representation and also by giving the Standards Commissioner the power to start investigations on their “own initiative”. The Bill will also see the standards committee placed on a statutory footing. This poses constitutional questions. On one hand, there is a principle that parliaments should be free to regulate their own affairs. On the other, a statutory basis for the committee may help ensure effective implementation of the proposed recall system, which currently lacks detail3.
Part 3 is the most controversial element. It places a duty on Welsh ministers to create, in future, an offence of making or publishing false or misleading statements of fact during elections. However, the Bill itself does not define the offence, but leaves key details, such as what counts as a statement of fact, whether “misleading” statements are included, who the offence applies to, and whether intent or recklessness is required, to future secondary legislation. These details will be set in secondary legislation by the next Welsh Government (the 7th Senedd, elected on May 7, 2026)3.
An interesting sidelight to all this, is that this election is the first to use 16 multi-member electorates to elect all 96 members of the Senedd, as per the Senedd Reform Act4. This is something that is long overdue in many democracies; multi-member electorates more closely reflect the voting of the people.
In passing this legislation, Wales has created a framework requiring future ministers to criminalise election-related falsehoods, but the detailed rules and enforcement are still to come and will not affect the current election.
Sources
This is a start. Rushed legislation often fails it’s purpose. Sometimes this is deliberate in my view. Steady as she goes.