Press regulation
Ministers made a poor use of Parliament on press regulation
The government’s decision to delay signing off the Royal Charter for press regulation was initially heralded as a dramatic change of heart, before being re-sold by those involved in the… Continue reading
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The Regulated?
With plummeting sales and the damage caused by the Johann Hari scandal, Chris Blackhurst had his work cut out when he took over as Editor of the Independent in 2011. Perhaps he saw… Continue reading
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Maria Miller and Oliver Letwin’s perfect press regulation
There was a curious meeting of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee this morning. The MPs took evidence from Oliver Letwin and Maria Miller, and then from Harriet Harman,… Continue reading
7 CommentsLeveson: Don’t be frightened by the state
If David Cameron had any sense, he would stand up in the Commons and say “I am withdrawing the Royal Charter. The law officers have assured me that Lord Justice… Continue reading
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‘Small-scale’ bloggers hear the chimes of freedom
Bloggers of the United Kingdom rejoice – an exemption from the all-new press controls looks to be on the way. We are waiting today to see if any of the… Continue reading
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It’s down to the House of Lords to save the bloggers
On Monday, Parliament will decide the future of blogging in this country. As the government’s press regulation proposals stand, blogs big and small would come under the new press regulator.… Continue reading
91 Comments Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good
I have a piece in this morning’s Wall Street Journal (Europe) on our new press regulations titled ‘We have the newspapers we deserve’: ‘I have just finished studying a diagram… Continue reading
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Do politicians know what they’re doing with the Royal Charter?
I witnessed my first-ever PMQs last week. It was, as my friend and Spectator colleague Isabel Hardman told me, not a raucous a PMQs as can usually be. Yet for… Continue reading
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The View from 22 — Peter Lilley vs. George Eustice on press regulation and the 2013 Budget
The Spectator has categorically said ‘NO’ to signing up to the government’s new regulatory body, but why are MPs so divided? In this week’s View from 22 podcast, Peter Lilley… Continue reading
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Hacked Off says press damages plan is a mistake
So the latest twist in the surreal saga of statutory regulation of the press is that the campaign group which had unparalleled access to the three parties hammering out a… Continue reading
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Osborne’s pitch to Sun-reading voters caught up in Leveson row
If this was a Budget for Sun readers, then it hasn’t quite worked out as well as George Osborne might have hoped. The newspaper sounded pretty cheery this morning with… Continue reading
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Jim Sheridan MP and those “parasites” in parliament
Labour MP Jim Sheridan covered himself in glory this morning by asking why the ‘parasitical press’ is ‘even allowed to come into’ parliament. Westminster watchers will remember the eloquent and… Continue reading
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Ministers avoid awkward vote on foreign criminals as Tories rebel on press damages plan
The Crime and Courts Bill, which contains one half of the government’s response to the Leveson recommendations, has just passed its third reading in the House of Commons. An earlier… Continue reading
4 Comments It’s not a press regulator, it’s a web regulator.
Since the early 1990s, hundreds of millions of words have been produced about the Web. Enthusiasts have told us that it is the greatest communications revolution since Guttenberg invented movable… Continue reading
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Newspapers irritated by exclusion from Leveson talks
As he summed up today’s debate on press regulation, the Prime Minister repeatedly stressed that the new system was a voluntary one, with incentives for journalists to join. It marked… Continue reading
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Press regulation: Tory backbenchers worried by proposals
MPs are continuing to debate the cross-party deal on press regulation in the Commons at the moment. The debate has been divided between congratulations for the party leaders and their… Continue reading
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Why the Tories don’t think the Leveson deal is statutory underpinning
David Cameron has just met Tory MPs to explain the deal he’s struck on Leveson. One of the things many of them were anxious to learn was whether the result… Continue reading
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Press regulation: Ceci n’est pas une statute
The party leaders should finish their discussions on Leveson – by phone – in the next hour or so. We’ll then get a statement in the Commons on the outcome… Continue reading
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Harriet Harman and Maria Miller both claim victory in Leveson talks
Who has won in the late-night Leveson talks? Both Harriet Harman and Maria Miller seem to think their own party’s Royal Charter has come out tops. And one says they’ve… Continue reading
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Late night Leveson talks bring parties close to deal
So it looks as though a deal has been struck on Leveson after late night talks. Oliver Letwin, Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband and Harriet Harman were holed up in Miliband’s… Continue reading
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