Liar liar

Boris Johnson was once called a "greased piglet" - a slippery creature able to escape from the tightest situations.¹ But he might finally be bacon.

On Wednesday, the former British prime minister was hauled before a committee of MPsMembers of Parliament. MPs are elected to represent people in 650 different geographical areas. . Their mission is to decide whether he misled Parliament over lockdown parties at 10 Downing StreetThe official residence of the British prime minister. .²

Johnson huffed and puffed. He lost his temper more than once. He pleaded he had done nothing wrong.

The committee disagreed. Chair Harriet Harman noted his "flimsy" explanations. Bernard Jenkin said: "The guidance does not say you can have a thank you party and as many people in the room as you like." 

The committee might recommend that Johnson is suspended from Parliament. This could eventually lead to a by-electionAn election held outside a general election to replace an MP who has resigned or otherwise left office. . He could even lose his seat in Parliament. 

The BBC's Chris Mason says: "It will shape his future; a permanent reference on his reputation. And it has the potential to finish him off."

In recent times, many have worried that politics is entering a post-truth era.³ Politicians around the world entered office on the basis of false promises and distortions of the truth.

Now their lies have caught up with them. Johnson is shamed. In the USA, Donald Trump may face arrest. Meanwhile, British prime minister Rishi Sunak has published his tax returns: a move that signals honesty.

Others are cautious. Johnson may be out of power, but he is still a presence in politics. Truth may have stung twice - when he was ousted from office last July, and now over lockdown parties. But otherwise Johnson has succeeded despite being a "known liar". 

He was sacked from The Times for making up a quote, but soon hired by the Daily Telegraph. He was even accused of lying to the Queen to shut down Parliament. This is the tip of the iceberg. Yet he still won a landslide victory.⁴

Even if Johnson falls, the current situation remains. Lying and spreading false information often works. Worse, it has become more difficult to tell them apart. The internet is full of conspiracy theories, deepfakesThis technique uses artificial intelligence to change the identity of a person in an image or a video - or to make it appear that a person is saying or doing something that they never said or did. and opinions presented as fact.

Yes: People lie all the time. We often lie, for example, when we tick a box saying we have read the terms and conditions. There is no reason to think politicians will be more truthful than the rest of us.

No: Truth was in trouble. But now it is back with a vengeance. In a democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people., liars can only function as long as they remain in power. Once defeated, in the words of Shakespeare, "truth will out".

Or... There is no single objective notion of "truth". It has always been a complicated and unclear idea. The post-truth age is actually just a different stage in the history of truth, rather than its end.