Why do politicians tell so many lies?

Jack Blanchard explores the thorny topic of political lying, and considers whether dishonesty is really getting worse in the so-called 'post-truth' era. Labour MP Dawn Butler and maverick journalist Peter Oborne explain why they believe Boris Johnson to be more dishonest than any prime minister in recent history, while Johnson's former campaign aide Richard Holden defends the PM against all charges. The former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken explains why he felt compelled to tell one of the most famous political lies of recent times, landing himself in jail for perjury as a result. From across the pond, former White House director of comms Anthony Scaramucci reveals what it's like to work for a "congenital liar" in President Donald J. Trump. And the author and professional fact-checker Tom Phillips considers whether politicians really do lie more than the rest of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices