Wales has announced plans to introduce a law that will disqualify Senedd members (lawmakers) found guilty of deliberate deception through an independent judicial process.
This new measure will be taken into effect before the next Senedd election.
What the Senedd members of Wales had to say
Mick Antoniw, the Welsh government's counsel general, stressed that the government is hell-bent on implementing this policy.
“The Welsh government will bring forward legislation before 2026 for the disqualification of members and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception through an independent judicial process. And will invite the committee to make proposals to that effect,” he told the Senedd on Tuesday evening.
Furthermore, this decision comes after Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, proposed the party's version earlier on the same day.
When will the proposal be taken into action?
However, before the proposal could go to a vote, the Labour government announced that it would introduce its legislation by the time of the next Senedd election.
Price argues that the “Trust in what we say as politicians has fallen to an all-time low.” And that the motivation behind the proposal is to “restore and rebuild and maintain that trust in democracy.”
While this move is receiving some support, some members of the Senedd have expressed their concerns over the potential implications of this parliamentary privilege.
Conservative James Davies and Labour's Hefin David shared that the new legislation could “undermine our parliamentary privilege.”
Nevertheless, Peter Fox from the Welsh Conservatives acknowledged the importance of the issue.
He said, “It is so fundamental that we try to rebuild the trust that has been diminished in our vocation because it is so fundamental to democracy that we are trusted and believed, and sadly that's been eroded.”
Additionally, Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has also voiced her support for the principle of “safeguarding” democracy. She stated, “Why does lying flourish in politics? Well, the answer is simple and it's sobering – because we can get away with it. Deception can run among politicians, largely because we face no real repercussions.”
Finally, this new principle by the Welsh government is a step in restoring public confidence in the political process.
