We need a free press

I AM alarmed at Prince Harry’s in my view, unfair rant at the press, in which he claims that his wife Meghan is facing similar mistreatment as his late mother Princess Diana.

The reason I am alarmed is I think his judgement on this issue is seriously flawed but more importantly because I don’t wish to see calls for restrictions on a free press to re-emerge.

These calls usually come from vested interests in this country, such as celebrities like Hugh Grant who led the ‘Hacked Off’ brigade a few years ago. This campaign made vast strides towards the erosion of a free press in this country. With the help of many MPs the Leverson Report was adopted during the Cameron led Government. If all of its recommendations had been adopted, they would have led to the silencing of our free press.

Fortunately, a vote taken in the House of commons on May 9, 2018 aiming to implement more of the recommendations of the Leverson Report was narrowly defeated by 304 votes to 295.

But that figure of 295 shows there were a lot of MPs who were in favour of state regulation of the press to be taken a stage further.

So I am fervently hoping that Prince Harry’s suggestion that the press has been unfair in its coverage of his wife these past few months will prove to be unfounded

Because one thing we don’t want in this country is our political leaders, celebrities and others to be able to do exactly as they wish without any scrutiny from an independent body. Howard Gardner, via email