There is a danger in taking every word that comes out of politicians' mouths as the gospel truth, especially during a time when they are campaigning to get back into parliament. There will be more than one occurrence where politicians will bend the truth.

Parliamentary privilege does not apply outside the walls of the Legislative Assembly, and many have grown accustomed to throwing in a ‘white lie’ to rile up emotions and sway voters. This is a dangerous thing to do. Politicians will try to take advantage of the voting population’s access to information and exploit it to their benefit. There have already been instances of such actions.

Lying is not a victimless crime. When politicians choose to lie, there are often people who suffer, and often an individual who suffers a great deal, often someone whose reputation is damaged, whose life is turned upside-down.

It’s important to recognise that deception in public life is a problem. Declining trust in politics and politicians is directly linked to failures of integrity and a perceived lack of accountability. Strengthening accountability systems, improving the transparency of how decisions are made, and how politicians are held to account are important responses to this.

What does it say about the calibre of a politician who lies to the public? How can we trust a person when he or she is lying even before he makes it into parliament? The nation is calling for honest leadership. People who will act on the principles of transparency and accountability. There is a need for leaders who will work for the people. Lies and deceit are trademarks of people who are in politics only for their own gain.

People need to protect themselves from such lies and leaders. Lies can bring about instability and ruin the reputation of others. As the media, our role during this election campaign will be highlighting false claims that will be made by politicians, regardless of which party. If you are going to claim that the third million in the district grant has been halted, we will ensure that we check that and highlight the truth. Even the US president, Donald Trump, was not spared when he falsely claimed that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets belonging to US citizens. His claims were fact-checked and found to be false.

As voters, people of this nation also have the responsibility to check the promises and claims made by politicians. Social media is not going to be the place to check that. It is equally important that people arm themselves with the right information so that politicians do not walk over them.

We do not have laws that hold politicians accountable for making false statements, maybe we should, just like Wales is trying to. Politicians and campaigners who deliberately lie could be forced from office under proposals designed to put Wales at the forefront of the “global challenge” to restore trust in politics. Radical changes suggested by the Welsh parliament standards committee would also make candidates in elections liable to criminal prosecution for making any false statement to win votes.

The Welsh government has committed to introducing “globally pioneering” legislation aimed at making lying in politics in Wales illegal by next year. A bit extreme, but if a law is required to keep politicians honest, then we should look at that. But for now, there are no such laws.

The onus falls on the candidates to be truthful. When you speak to voters and the public, highlight your intentions and speak the facts. No good will come from deceiving voters. Discuss policies and campaign promises and not lies. If someone has faltered, then highlight that with the fact.

If you, as a candidate, are promising change, do that with honesty and integrity. We already have too many politicians who cannot keep election promises and make false claims. Making false claims in politics is the same as quoting the bible and then offering Adam and Eve an apple.