Fresh start for press has arrived, says PCC chief
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A 75-year-old former judge, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, has been put in charge of establishing a new press regulation system, following the long public inquiry conducted by his judicial colleague Lord Justice Leveson.
Lord Phillips, a former President of the Supreme Court, has been chosen to head a Foundation Group of six individuals who will select the appointment panel that will oversee the successor body to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC).
The PCC chairman Lord Hunt, who will announce the appointment of Lord Phillips in a speech in Bristol today, has admitted that the 1 July deadline for the new regulatory body may now be missed. “On 25 November [when Leveson reported] I was confident we could get it up and running [by July],” he said. “Now perhaps it may be a little more difficult.”
He hoped that in “firing the starting gun” on the much-delayed appointment panel process he could end the political stalemate over the implementation of Leveson.
“This is the beginning of the fresh start we so desperately need,” he said. As a result, he hoped, the cross-party plans to reform Britain’s libel laws might be rescued.
The Defamation Bill going through Parliament is in jeopardy after peers inserted an amendment designed to force the Government to act on Leveson. Lord Hunt said his announcement was a “plea for [the Bill] to be spared”
Lord Phillips is a “person of complete integrity”, he said. “He is also a person of independent mind, completely his own man and possessed of a remarkably sharp intellect and robust common sense.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments