The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has called on the Welsh Government to commit to a bill that would make lying an offence in the Senedd.

Jane Dodds MS has backed a motion to the Senedd Cymru which would see it become an offence for a Senedd member, or a candidate standing for election to the Senedd, to purposely make a false or misleading statement.

According to a poll from IPSOs, only nine per cent of the British public believe that politicians can be trusted to say the truth.

The Welsh Lib Dems have backed the anti-lying motion as part of their campaign to clean up Welsh politics.

Speaking at the Senedd last week, Jane Dodds MS urged Counsel General Julie James to confirm the Welsh Government’s commitment to making deceit an offence in the Senedd, stating that it would be “cruelly ironic if this critical legislation fails to pass due to the Government wavering on its commitment.”

“Failing to deliver on this promise to clean up Welsh politics would not only undermine the agreement made between Welsh Labour and the Senedd, but it would also further erode public trust in our elected institutions, trust which is already at a historic low,” said Ms Dodds.

The Mid and West Wales MS referenced the “flurry of scandals” which have rocked the Welsh Government in recent months.

“We cannot carry on like this, the people of Wales deserve a political system that works for them and not against them,” said Ms Dodds.