Don't Undermine a Cornerstone of our Democracy

The press should not be subject to statutory regulation, 86 MPs support protecting the press’s freedom.

(LONDON Refugee News Network) - Dozens of MPs and peers, including nine former Cabinet ministers, today urge David Cameron to resist laws which would shackle Britain’s 300-year-old free Press.

SIR, With the publication of the Leveson Report on Thursday it is clear that the central issue will be whether the press should, for the first time, be subjected to statutory regulation or have the opportunity to put in place a new system of binding self-regulation.

As Parliamentarians, we believe in free speech and are opposed to the imposition of any form of statutory control even if it is dressed up as underpinning. It is redress that is vital not broader regulation.

The prospect of drafting legislation may have the dual benefit of exposing the dangers of the statutory regulation and at the same time focus the minds of those seeking to further strengthen the existing tough independent proposals.

No form of statutory regulation of the press would be possible without the imposition of state licensing – abolished in Britain in 1695. State licensing is inimical to any idea of press freedom and would radically alter the balance of our unwritten constitution.

There are also serious concerns that statutory regulation of the print media may shift the balance to the digital platforms which, as recent events have shown through the fiasco of Newsnight broadcast prompted by Twitter, would further undermine the position of properly moderated and edited print journalism.

The press abuse chronicled at Leveson was almost wholly about actions which were against the law. It demonstrated not a sole failure of regulation but rather of law enforcement.

However the status quo is not an option. We cannot countenance newspapers behaving as some have in the past. The solution is not new laws but a profound restructuring of the self-regulatory system.

Lords Hunt and Black have come forward with a detailed proposal for a much improved, genuinely independent regulator with the power to intervene proactively, to levy substantial fines, and to enforce membership for the first time through a system of civil contracts. They need to deliver on this promised reform.

We agree with the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee which came out against any form of statutory regulation – not least because of the signal it would send to emerging democracies around the world.

Public debate will necessarily follow publication of the Leveson report and will be needed to provide confidence in a rigorous tough new system of self-regulation. Such a debate will lead to a speedy way of establishing a new self-regulatory regime that can restore confidence in the press

David Blunkett
Conor Burns
Stuart Andrew
Steve Baker
Lord Bell
Bob Blackman
Nick de Bois
Baroness Boothroyd
Peter Bottomley
Peter Bone
Graham Brady
Angie Bray
Julian Brazier
Andrew Bridgen
Alun Cairns
Baroness Chalker
Bill Cash
Douglas Carswell
Lord Cavendish
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
Therese Coffey
Damian Collins
Earl Courtown
Tracey Crouch
David Davis
Glyn Davies
Philip Davies
Lord Dobbs
Brian Donohoe
Stephen Dorrell
Lord Eden
Lord Fellowes
Liam Fox
Frank Field
Lord Flight
Lord Forsyth
Mike Freer
Lord Glentoran
James Gray
Robert Halfon
John Hemming
Gordon Henderson
Kate Hoey
George Hollingbery
Lord Howell of Guildford
Margot James
Eleanor Laing
Phillip Lee
Peter Lilley
Pauline Latham
Julian Lewis
Karen Lumley
Jason McCartney
Karl McCartney
Stephen McPartland
Baroness Morris
David Morris
Stephen Mosley
Baroness Neville-Jones
Brooks Newmark
Lord Norton
Mark Pawsey
Christopher Pincher
Mark Reckless
John Redwood
Lord Renton
Lord Risby
Baroness Shephard
Lord Skelmersdale
Graham Stringer
Julian Smith
Gisela Stuart
Graham Stuart
Lord Swinfen
Justin Tomlinson
Lord Trimble
The Lord True
Andrew Turner
Martin Vickers
Lord Wakeham
Heather Wheeler
John Whittingdale
Sarah Wollasto
Tim Yeo
Lord Coe
Lord Tebbit