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Author
Jennifer Nadel
Jennifer is CEO of the UK based cross-party think tank, Compassion in Politics which has led the campaign for a law against political deception. She’s also Director of Compassionate Politics at Stanford University. A non-practicing barrister, author, strategist, keynote speaker and award-winning television journalist (ex BBC, Channel Four News and ITN), her books include: Sunday Times bestseller, WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere (written with Gillian Anderson) and How Compassion can Transform our Politics, Economy and Society. Her father fled to the UK as a child refugee on the Kindertransport which has shaped her political outlook including her focus on preventing the rise of the far right.
She has worked in and around Westminster for over three decades and has advised numerous campaigns and individual politicians on messaging. Her Radio 4 doc, Broken Politics. Broken Politicians explored the mental health crisis in UK politics. She is a frequent media commentator and speaks globally on democracy, women’s rights and compassion as well as leading Resilience, Compassionate Leadership and Civility in Politics workshops.
The amendment that could protect our democracy – and why the next five days are crucial
What we are witnessing in the United States is a stark and chilling warning.
When a politician is willing to abuse their position, distort the truth and deliberately mislead the public, the damage to democracy can be profound and long-lasting.
In six days time, Parliament has a chance to act to prevent that happening here.
An amendment tabled today by Labour MP Luke Myer to the Public Accountability Bill (the Hillsborough Law) would extend the offence of misleading the public so that it applies explicitly to Members of Parliament.
Clause 11 of the Bill already creates the new criminal offence of deliberately misleading the public, but as drafted it applies to public authorities and public officials, not MPs. Our legal advice suggests it may already apply to members of the House of Lords in certain circumstances, but not to Members of the House of Commons. The amendment would place politicians clearly within scope.
This is not simply about closing a technical anomaly. It is about putting a democratic safeguard in place.
Recent experience in the United States has shown how a political figure can build popularity and power through repeated, deliberate falsehoods, exploiting weak accountability and the absence of effective legal guardrails. When lying becomes a route to power rather than a liability, democratic norms are hollowed out from within.
The amendment would help ensure that a Trump-like figure could not deliberately and knowingly mislead the public in the UK without consequence. It makes clear that democratic resilience cannot rely on conventions alone, and that the most serious abuses of truth in public life must carry legal consequences.
The amendment is deliberately narrow and tightly safeguarded. It does not criminalise political disagreement, opinion, rhetoric or honest error. It applies only to the most serious and egregious cases of deliberate deception, and any prosecution would require the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The amendment reflects seven years of campaigning by Compassion in Politics to establish a clear legal safeguard against deliberate political deception. A Private Members Bill was introduced in 2022 by Liz Saville Roberts MP and the Welsh Government committed to legislate in 2024. Public backing is strong. Polling commissioned by Compassion in Politics shows that 72% of the public support criminal sanctions for politicians who deliberately lie.
The amendment has just been tabled, and MPs have until close of play on Tuesday to add their names in support. Whether it is selected for a vote will depend, in part, on whether there is visible parliamentary and public backing in the coming days. The measure has cross-party support including from the Parliamentary Lead on the bill and Liverpool MP, Ian Byrne.
For those committed to democratic resilience, this is a rare opportunity to put a vital protection in place and we would be grateful for your support. Guardrails only work if they are put in place before they are needed.
Contact your MP now
MPs have until close of business on Tuesday to add their names in support of this amendment.
If you can, please contact your MP, and ask them to:
Add their name in support of the amendment tabled by Luke Myer MP
A short message is enough. Visible support before close of play on Tuesday 13th January could determine whether this amendment is selected for a vote.
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