United Kingdom - March 2025

In March, the Welsh government provided its responses to 11 recommendations for disqualifying members of the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception. The proposals were published by the Senedd’s Standards of Conduct Committee in February, and  follow a government commitment to introduce legislation before the 2026 Senedd elections, made in July 2024 and re-affirmed in December. As part of its responses, the government pledged to introduce legislation, including a recall system allowing voters to remove Senedd members who breach the parliamentary Code of Conduct from office between elections, and to strengthen the independence of the Senedd’s standards process. The government called for further consultation on a proposal to create a new electoral offence for deliberately misleading statements by candidates in Senedd elections, and began assessing impacts on the justice system and electoral law. The government’s responses were debated in the Senedd on 2 April.  

Sources: Senedd (1), Senedd (2), Senedd (3), Nation Cymru, Llywodraeth Cymru, British Broadcasting Cooperation, The Conversation