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Lying in Parliament

Cricko

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Just something I saw on TV last evening on BBC3. "An Idiots guide to politics".

I never knew and it sounds totally bizarre, but it is apparently totally legal for MP's to lie in Parliament.

People cannot lie in a court of law without committing perjury, but the heads of our country and so called electorate representatives can in the highest place in the land.
They did apparently fine some at one time but the last reference to this was in 1666, yes you just read that right.

Am I the only one that finds this ridiculous?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b052n6bh/an-idiots-guide-to-politics
 
I watched it to, interesting that an MP can lie with impunity within the H of P.
NF looked a right clown with a troop of clowns as a party.
 
You can be reprimanded for "misleading the House" but you cannot be pursued for libel under parliamentary privilege. The point, I think, is to permit absolute free speech rather than endorse lying.
 
You can be reprimanded for "misleading the House" but you cannot be pursued for libel under parliamentary privilege. The point, I think, is to permit absolute free speech rather than endorse lying.

Didn't one MP use parliamentary privilege to name Ryan Giggs as the footballer who had slept with his brother's wife?
 
Didn't one MP use parliamentary privilege to name Ryan Giggs as the footballer who had slept with his brother's wife?
Yes, but the reasons behind doing it was to stop a lot of people being sued after mentioning it on twitter...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13503847

"Using parliamentary privilege to break the court order, he said it would not be
practical to imprison the 75,000 Twitter users who had named the player."
 
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You can be reprimanded for "misleading the House" but you cannot be pursued for libel under parliamentary privilege. The point, I think, is to permit absolute free speech rather than endorse lying.

Huh? How is it that when they can make up what they like whether it is a lie or not. Next we will saying the reason MP's never answer a question is because they are afraid of actually telling the truth.
 
it is apparently totally legal for MP's to lie in Parliament

I'm not sure that is actually legally correct. Immunity from proceedings only extends to civil matters, not criminal. Where evidence was given under oath it would be subject to the Perjury Act and, at least in theory, the courts, although given the doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty it is unclear whether the courts or the House would have jurisdiction.

For less serious matters that don't require evidence to be given under oath, MPs would still be governed by the House and misleading the House would be considered contempt of Parliament. The Commons have the power to imprison until the end of the Parliamentary session; the Lords indefinitely. I think the last MP to be imprisoned was the atheist Charles Bradlaugh(sp?) in the late 19th Century for refusing to take the oath. He was detained in the Big Ben Clock Tower. More likely would be suspension.

It is actually 'illegal' to call a fellow MP a liar in the house. This is considered unparliamentary language and the MP will be invited to withdraw the remark. If he fails to do so he will be in contempt of Parliament and will be suspended. It's not the type of thing to show up on your CRB check though.
 
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