Ban on Welsh politicians lying promised by 2026

A ban on politicians lying will be brought in before the 2026 Senedd elections, the Welsh government has promised.

Counsel General Mick Antoniw vowed to bring forward the legislation on Tuesday in a move that spared the government an embarrassing defeat in the Welsh Parliament.

Labour faced losing a vote as it tried to stop a Plaid Cymru attempt to pass its own version of the ban.

BBC Wales has been told that ministers cut a deal with Plaid Cymru and former Labour minister Lee Waters hours before the vote was due to take place.

In the end the government won with 26 votes for, 13 against and 13 abstentions.

Mr Antoniw said ministers would bring forward a law that would disqualify Senedd politicians and candidates from being Members of the Senedd (MS) who are “found guilty of deliberate deception, though an independent judicial process”.

He said the standards committee would be invited to make proposals.

Former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said what had been announced was “truly historic”.

Discussions had taken place with opposition parties throughout the day, with Mr Antoniw even attending a meeting of the Conservative Party group.

In May Mr Waters helped the former Plaid leader amend a law on elections, currently being considered by the Senedd, to introduce a new offence of deception.

Mr Antoniw planned on Tuesday to have this offence removed from his legislation on elections, which among other items would lay the groundwork for piloting automatic voter registration, via an amendment.

The law, had it been passed, would have given politicians and candidates 14 days to withdraw a false statement.

If they were prosecuted through the courts they would be banned from being an MS for four years.

It is not yet clear whether the proposed law would make lying a criminal offence or a civil sanction.