Parliament gets its sense of humour back over satire

The ban on the use of Parliamentary TV coverage for satire, ridicule, or denigration will be lifted. The outdated rule - which has never been used - ‘‘risks making Parliament seem out of touch and wary of criticism’’ the House’s standing orders committee said in recommending the change. But such coverage would still be subject to the reservation that what is published ‘‘does not amount to a false or misleading account of parliamentary proceedings’’, which would still be contempt.