Make political claims subject to advertising standards laws.
- Parliament:
- 2015–17
- Signatures:
- 10,762
- Responded:
- 2 May 2017
The petition
A company making false claims in order to sell its products is liable to prosecution. Any politician, candidate or political party making false claims should also be prosecuted.
The government's response
There are already laws prohibiting false statements about candidates. Beyond this, it is for rival campaigners to challenge inaccurate arguments as part of the normal course of political debate.
The Representation of the People Act 1983 sets out that a person is guilty of an illegal practice if, before or during an election, they aim to affect the result by making or publishing a false statement in relation to a candidate’s personal character or conduct.
The accuracy of arguments advanced in the course of an election or referendum is not subject to regulation. It is for rival campaigners to challenge and rebut arguments they perceive to be inaccurate as part of the normal course of political debate.
Cabinet Office
Highlighted: the sentence the model picked as the strongest evidence cited.