Social Entrepreneur fighting against lying in politics
I believe that nothing based upon deceit is logical or meaningful, lying doesn't work. It corrupts, cheats and cheapens. A democracy is meant to be a beautiful system that reflects equality, fairness and collective decision making. When politicians lie to the public they abuse that ideal.
Growing up in the UK I've seen example after example of the enormous damage caused by lying politicians. It's now my job to do something about it.
My work tests our ideals of equality under the law and the decency of political conduct to the very limit. It is my mission to make lying in politics illegal and I plan to achieve this through statutory change, a successful criminal prosecution case or by way of a civil law ruling.
I'm fortunate to be funded by over 15,000 people from around the world through crowdfunding. Our work has been covered by every major international news platform on the planet.
Marcus J Ball
Founder & Private Prosecutor
Stop Lying In Politics
WRITING
Marcus writes for Metro.co.uk and Medium
SPEAKER
Marcus J Ball, founder of Stop Lying In Politics, is available to speak about the campaign within the media, at schools, universities, companies and at events. He can speak on the following topics:
- The story of the crowdfunded private prosecution case against Boris Johnson
- Conduct, honesty & leadership in public life
- Leadership, motivation and communications within social entrepreneurship
- Private prosecutions and crowdfunding
- Politicians and equality under the criminal law
- How to respond to a media crisis after becoming a target of the tabloid press
- Marcus also has experience providing public speaking coaching for startup investment pitches, Tedx and event speeches.
- Holding to account the judiciary: The JCIO and allegations of judicial bias
Marcus is represented by Yinka Awoyinka at The Speaking People speakers' bureau.MEDIA
Lying In Politics Prosecution 2019 Media Selection
A selection of media clips covering the 2019 prosecution case against lying in politics.
Lewis Power QC, criminal barrister Church Court Chambers (ITV News)
“Democracy demands responsible and honest leadership from those in public office.” “The conduct of the proposed defendant Boris Johnson was both irresponsible and dishonest. It was, we say, criminal.”
Keir Starmer MP, Ex Director of Public Prosecutions (On Twitter)
“It’s a process that’s been around for hundreds of years. It’s not a trial of personalities. It’s a question of whether the law has been broken.”
Gina Miller, judicial review public law champion (Speaking on ITV)
"It is about holding our politicians to account in public office and their responsibility when it comes to the messages and information they disseminate to the public"
Kathy Sheridan, journalist (Writing in Irish Times)
"Big political lies such as those in Brexit blight democracy by killing voters’ trust’ 'Go on, Marcus J Ball, have a go."
Lord Alan Sugar (On Twitter)
"@BorisJohnson should be prosecuted with a criminal offence for misleading the public over the £350m per week lie. @piersmorgan"
Robert Peston ITV journalist and author (on Twitter)
"I met @MarcusJBall a few weeks ago and was impressed by how as a young person he has devoted his life to fighting what he sees as dishonesty in politics. His case was based on what is appropriate conduct in public office. Whatever side of Brexit debate you are on, important to see Ball’s tenacity as extraordinary."
Ed Davey MP (Politics Home)
"Given Boris Johnson wants to be the next Prime Minister of this country, it's only right that he is held accountable for the lies he told in 2016."
Paul Brennan, journalist (Speaking on Al Jazeera)
“Concerns about the character and truthfulness of politicians are not new. George Orwell described politics as a mass of lies, evasion, folly. But seeing a politician held criminally responsible misleading campaign slogans would indeed be a startling precedent”.
Ian Hislop, Editor of Private Eye Magazine (speaking on Have I Got News For You)
“At the moment we’re just at the preliminary stage about whether when he was a public official he was telling lies and therefore abusing his office. It’s very similar to putting the Pope on trial and saying are you a Catholic? ...I would like him to have a fair trial, with a desirable result with him being imprisoned forever.”
Peter Stefanovic, journalist and lawyer, campaigning against political deceit (On Twitter)
“After two years of case research we intend to bring a private criminal prosecution for misconduct in public office against Boris Johnson MP.” COURAGE HAS A NEW NAME! DONATE TO @MarcusJBall case so that Boris Johnson is held fully to account!"
Holding judges to account to preserve public trust in the judicial system
Westminster Magistrates' Court spent over three months carefully reviewing our first prosecution case against Boris Johnson. They carried out two hearings and considered three written arguments and several email exchanges. In contrast, the High Court's own ruling and court transcripts reveal that they didn't reference our main legal argument and did not read our case research. They shut the case down after having the papers for around three days and they carried out just one hearing. They also dismissed our appeal application with an email simply stating 'no', 'no', no'. This conduct greatly concerned Marcus and the team so he set out to investigate. What he discovered has been summarised in this video.
Cost of EU Membership per year according to Boris Johnson
Cost of EU membership per year according to Boris Johnson (in billions) and in chronological order. Thank you for the journalism of Laura Kuenssberg, Tom Bradby, Simon Harris, Rylan Clark-Neal and Holly Willoughby who worked to draw out these statements from this elected representative.
