As an MP I had no wish to lie to the public . I also saw that those who did lie usually came unstuck. They would begin by a first lie or cover up to avoid unpopularity or bad report around a single mistake of theirs or their government. Critics got to work to attack them, and soon they had to lie about other things. The first lie would be revealed by surrounding truths. They ended up having to create an alternative reality they wished was true. Over time they destroyed their reputation for truthfulness by too many lies. When a government gets a reputation for lies its time is up. It means whatever the government says about the future and how things might get better, the public do not believe them because they are used to them lying.
Lie is a tough word which MPs are not allowed to use about each other in the Commons. It is true there are degrees of lying. When a government is defending a questionable or dangerous policy like keeping the pound up to a specified rate or interest rates down the spokesmen must not say anything that implies they could lose their battle with the markets. The reassurances will turn out to be lies if and when market forces overcome the policy. This is a small category of necessary lies. Today the government must not say anything that could destabilise the bond market more and make it difficult for them to borrow such huge sums.
There are unintentional lies. It is easy in the heat of a live interview to mis quote or mis remember an important fact. The offending MP should make an early correction. There are lies which the author claims is just a difference of opinion. Climate change theory is fact to its advocates and a scam to its critics. The headlines require unpacking to see what is true and what is false beneath the high level claims.
This government does peddle too many untruths, or too many bad policies which subsequently have to be moderated or cancelled. It has misled us over the legal reasons for its wish to undertake a needless surrender of the Chagos islands. It has claimed to have a growth strategy when most of its tax, spend and regulatory changes have been anti growth. It has lied in saying getting closer to the EU will boost our GDP, and arguing that Brexit caused a big fall in output and trade.
The PM’s judgement has often been called into question, and the government has too many times changed its mind or argued a poor or false case. Credibility is crucial to successful government. Anything that smacks of untruthfulness is another hit to the government’s reputation and ability to govern. MPs are dependent on the value of their words. Lying devalues them, and can result in people no longer listening.
February 18, 2026
You say that ‘Climate change theory is fact to its advocates and a scam to its critics’.
I thought you accepted that climate change has taken place but denied it was caused by man.
Reply The article does not set out my view of climate change because it is not about me.
February 18, 2026
The truth is surely that Climate Changes and always has always will, Man made CO2 is one factor (of million) that influence the climate but not a major one. On balance a bit more CO2 and a little warmer is a good thing, the things the Ed Miliband types push EV’s, heat pumps, so called “renewables”, public transport, bikes, walking save no or no significant CO2, the push for net zero cost trillions and does on balance ever before all the damage done by the costs and extra taxes needed to fund this lunacy.
The World has seen ice ages with far higher levels of CO2 than current ones.
February 18, 2026
Sorry I meant “The push for net zero cost £trillions and does on balance net harm – this even before all the vast damage done by the vast cost and extra taxes needed to fund this lunacy.
February 18, 2026
Stephen
I believe in Climate Change. It is a provable fact with much evidence to support it. What I do not believe is, that a gas (CO2) which is the fourth most common gas on the planet at 0.04% (look it up) is somehow responsible and, that we must somehow destroy our (UK and Western) economy to save the planet.
Please see my post below about lies.
February 18, 2026
Because it’s in there DNA , well some of them a very few do tell the truth, the rest a larger majority it’s the only way to get elected by being two faced
February 18, 2026
The problem for MP’s is, if they tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth they will get pillared for it. They simply cannot win. So I am happy for them to use ‘other means’ to answer a difficult question or, not answer it at all. Our kind host I feel is most skilled in this, and that is a compliment BTW 🙂
February 18, 2026
Why do the government and some MPs lie?
Well most do it in order to get elected and to cover up for their real and often vile motives for (for example) for:-Pushing the net harm unsafe and ineffective Covid lockdowns, pushing the net harm covid vaccines running open borders and vast low skilled immigration, the Chagos lunacy, the reason for cancelling certain local elections and allowing children to vote, Kier’s two tier justice and back door on religion blasphemy law, the claim that growth is their first priority when almost everything they do is anti-growth, the promise of “to the tens of thousands”, the claim that private schools were getting a tax break by not paying VAT when users were paying 10 times over, the promise by Osborne that we would get £1m IHT thresholds, the absurd claim by the vile George Osborne that it was unfair for landlords to be allowed to deduct interest from their income as every other business can, the claim now that they are not releasing data on the vaccine harms to “protect” people (see the excellent Dr Clare Craig), the claim that VAT of school fees and the war on Non Doms will raise net tax, the reasons Lucy Letby got 31 months for a slightly silly tweet, the idea that the tenants rights bill, net zero, the climate change bill and workers rights bill do anything but huge damage to jobs the economy, living standards and our defences, ( allegation left out ed), and Labour pays organisations to trash some Sunday Times Journalists for exposing their financial misdeeds, the vile propaganda used against the obviously unsafe convictions of Lucy Letby, the rigging of NHS waiting lists, the use of NHS advert which are really political pro Labour adverts…
February 18, 2026
LL.
Wow, that is some paragraph. I cannot imagine you drawing a breath and allowing anyone to get a word in edge ways.
John Prescott used to be an expert at doing that during interviews. He probably had a very good awareness of the time available. Appearances often ended with him gulping for air.
February 18, 2026
Did you include a deliberate mistake ( Lucy Letby tweet)?
February 18, 2026
Politicians lie because they think we the public are too stupid to know. The fact we keep voting for the sane bunch of chancers probably reinforces their belief we are stupid.
Chagos, Net Zero, Local Elections and Growth are 4 areas where this government is blatantly lying to the electorate and their only answer is to double down on the lies.
Starmet keeps saying we voted for change and superficially his manifesto read that way. We didn’t vote for mass destruction of our way of life which appears to be what’s happening.
I really hope when a sensible government is voted in these liars are brought to book and stripped of all their assets for the damage they’ve caused.
February 18, 2026
The internet and mass 24/7 media has changed all that. That little camera on your smartphone ? See something going on and you can be your very own reporter on the spot. Catching images and videos that, in the past, could only be described. And it can be around the world in an instant.
February 18, 2026
Is there such a thing as an ‘accidental lie’?
Can’t wait to see if a ‘uman rights lawyer will try to evict some proud British citizens from a place that they were illegally removed from 60 odd years ago. Hard to make this story up!
February 18, 2026
Peter. Trump will grant them protection further embarrassing the Marxist dross that wants to give away the islands together with a bursary.
etc Ed
February 18, 2026
Yes, well done to Adam Holloway, Misley Mandarin and the other brave Chagossians in the bridgehead. I hope more are on their way to join them.
February 18, 2026
Good morning.
Knowing something is untrue and asking others to believe the falsehood is lying. Believing in something, even if the facts do not support said position is an error and, to continue in that belief when all the facts prove the person(s) wrong is just plain foolish.
There is a difference between those in public office and those of us who are not. Those in public office wield great power and influence and therefore have the potential to cause much damage, both materially and repetitionary. It has also the consequence of causing more harm to more people that say an individual or a group.
To that end, when those in public office are held to a much higher standard than the ordinary person. I mentioned in a post about the Profumo Affair. A post that got deleted. My point was, that John Profumo resigned not because of his relations, but the fact he lied to the HoC about said relations. Trust and respect in the institutions was then lost. It damaged and tainted everybody.
Today we see all too often, “one rule for thee and another for me”. This does not sit well with the electorate who are going through hard times. They do not buy the ‘yarns’ spun and the blame game.
Lies destroy trust. And trust is the single most important commodity on the planet. It cannot be bought, sold, dug out the ground or created from thin air. It is hard earned and, as we have seen, easily lost. We should all do well to remember that.
February 18, 2026
++ A good appraisal. Without trust no one can sleep easily.
A trust easily and deliberately betrayed can rarely be mended.
February 18, 2026
Good morning, JR
I see my post has been deleted, or lost in the ether. May I please ask what was in it that deserved such a response ? I ask as I do not wish to fall fowl again.
I it however appears later, then please accept my apologies.
Thank you and have a nice day.
Mark
Reply I have deleted a few of your posts seeking to make generalised allegations about a named person that have no evidence to back them up.
February 18, 2026
it is wider than MP’s and the government, eg the MOD AJAX programme has been screwed since Boris was PM. the vehicles it produces hurt our own soldiers. vast sums wasted on state programmes that have been obvious failures for a long time. and no sanctions for the public sector doing this.
February 18, 2026
Politicians lie for the good of the party and their elevation within it. Many times also out of sheer ignorance. The end result, when the lies become so prolific, is that they lose credibility with the electorate. This is the point we have reached with this socialist government. I hope that in the May local elections the electorate will express disdain for their lying and incompetence.
Climate change has become the basis for many lies. The principal property of climate is that it changes and has done since the inception of Earth. A legitimate debate is the degree to which man’s indusrial activity may affect it. The flat earthers maintain the lie wholly, saying the science is fixed. Science is never fixed, it evolves constantly. That a trail of detritous follows man’s activities, causing growing problems to health and well being is largely ignored but for a few beach cleaners.
Politicians are not alone in the lying game. There is growing suspician that much industrial developement, of potential benefit to man and the planet has been stiffled and buried with their murdered creators by vested interests. The proliferation of knowledge and information will ultimately prevail thanks to the likes of Youtube. An open mind and caveat emptor should be the approach.
February 18, 2026
MPs lie because that’s what the people want. Come election time, it’s the sweet lies that gets a politician elected. No one wants the blunt truth.
February 18, 2026
Well said Lord Redwood. You have made a very clear argument for why the electorate, and the soon to be, get completely disillusioned with politics and the Government in charge at any time. People are not all stupid and can see and judge the falsehoods regularly trotted out.
As you’ve said and written ‘I don’t believe you!’.