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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsElections9yrs ago

Should a politician who has been formerly convicted of a crime be allowed to run for office?

In 2017 Local Government Minister Marcus Jones set out plans to strengthen rules to prevent anyone found guilty of serious crimes from serving on local councils. Under the planned changes to criteria, it would ensure those who represent their communities are held to the highest possible standards. Current rules make clear that anyone convicted of an offence carrying a prison sentence of more than 3 months is banned from serving as a local councilor. Under the Representation of the People Act 1981, people are disqualified from becoming a member of the House of Commons if they have been found guilty of an offence and sentenced to more than one year in prison, and are currently detained as a result of that offence. Once they are released from prison, they are not prevented from standing for election as an MP.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 349k UK voters.

39%
Yes
61%
No
15%
Yes
59%
No
18%
Yes, as long as it was not a felony, violent, financial, or sexual crime
3%
No, and disallow politicians that are under investigation for a crime
4%
Yes, as long as they have finished serving their sentence
1%
Yes, as long as the crime was not committed while in office

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 349k UK voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 349k UK voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from UK voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BF3JXGZanswered…7 days7D

yes as long as it was either when they were very young or it was not a felony or voilent or sexual crime

 @BDZW4QDanswered…2wks2W

This should be on a case by case basis. It should be checked and decided if they still pose a risk to the public, which in this case would mean is there indication that they might either a/ be unable to fairly and properly represent certain constituents who they have a legal duty to or b/ they are a viable risk in public office.

 @BDZ8LV6answered…2wks2W

it depends on what crime it is and if the person has changed.

 @BDZ7CS5answered…2wks2W

Depends on the crime and when it was committed. Felonies should not be tolerated

 @BDZ3NPVanswered…2wks2W

i think it should depend on the crime that they have been convicted of and the seriousness of the crime

 @BDWJYX9answered…3wks3W

As long as it wasn't an insanely bad crime like murder or something

 @BDW9Y53answered…3wks3W

depends on the severity of the crime and if it was commited while they were in office

 @BDVBVKKanswered…3wks3W

depending on what the crimes was

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 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...…6yrs6Y

Should critical race theory be taught in K-12 education?

No

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About This Data

Based on 349k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should a politician who has been formerly convicted of a crime be allowed to run for office?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://uk.isidewith.com/polls/2963614665

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