This graphic, created by Full Fact, became the recognisable brand image associated with the Honesty in Politics campaign.
Full Fact believes that honesty in politics is crucial for democracy—but the parliamentary process was not fit for purpose so they set out to change that.
The Campaign
Full Fact believes that honesty in politics is crucial for democracy but that the parliamentary process was not fit for purpose. MPs who wanted to be honest couldn’t be, as they were unable to make corrections to Hansard – the official record of Parliamentary debates and questions. Through targeted advocacy and the engagement of more than 50,000 supporters, their campaign aimed to change the corrections system.
Will Moy – Full Fact 19Oct2022. Former Full Fact Chief Executive Will Moy speaking at the House of Commons Procedure Committee – Wednesday 19 October 2022.
Screengrab taken from: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/03ca722d-d9b2-47d6-8e0e-2cee840794b9?in=14:45:10&_gl=1*113sag9*_ga*MjA0ODk5OTQ4NS4xNzAyNTU0Njc3*_ga_L0NJWDWMGN*MTcxMjc0MDkzNi4zMi4xLjE3MTI3NDA5ODIuMTQuMC4w
We are thrilled to have been shortlisted. This was a team effort over a sustained period of time and we’re very pleased with the outcome—it is a big win for honesty in politics. We’re also incredibly grateful to Full Fact’s supporters who played a key role in bringing about this change.”
Will Moy – Full Fact 19Oct2022. Former Full Fact Chief Executive Will Moy speaking at the House of Commons Procedure Committee – Wednesday 19 October 2022.
Screengrab taken from: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/03ca722d-d9b2-47d6-8e0e-2cee840794b9?in=14:45:10&_gl=1*113sag9*_ga*MjA0ODk5OTQ4NS4xNzAyNTU0Njc3*_ga_L0NJWDWMGN*MTcxMjc0MDkzNi4zMi4xLjE3MTI3NDA5ODIuMTQuMC4w
We are thrilled to have been shortlisted. This was a team effort over a sustained period of time and we’re very pleased with the outcome—it is a big win for honesty in politics. We’re also incredibly grateful to Full Fact’s supporters who played a key role in bringing about this change.”
The Change
The campaign has improved the national policy-making process by making it less vulnerable to misinformation. Following Full Fact advocacy and campaigning with supporters, MPs voted to fix the broken parliamentary system so that now:
- All MPs can easily correct the official record, not just Ministers
- The visibility of corrections is improved on the official record, stemming the spread of dangerous misinformation
- Everyone can see when MPs correct the record on an easily accessible corrections page.
The Future
Thanks to changes to the House of Commons correction system, it will now be easier for ‘good’ information to exist.
Previously, if an MP needed to amend Hansard – the official report of what is said in Parliament – it was difficult to do. They had to make a Point of Order, forcing them to stop the proceedings in order to seek the correction. This was often used for political point scoring, rather than corrections. By contrast, Government Ministers have long had the ability to correct the record. Plus, their corrections have been cross-referenced, making it easier for good information to be found easily.
From April 2024, there is now parity in the system. All MPs – whether Ministers or not – have the same ability to ensure good information is the primary output of the official record.
Who else was involved?
Full Fact presented oral evidence to the Procedure Committee alongside the Institute for Government.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life also submitted written evidence to the Procedure Committee.
Other organisations that have approached this problem include Compassion in Politics, who report that 76% of the public would back a specific criminal offence covering politicians who lie. They gained over 200,000 signatures on their petition to bring in such an offence.
https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-end-the-lies?source_location=search
