PM pledges to block restraint of free press

THERESA MAY has promised to oppose any attempt to curb press freedom after the House of Lords voted to restart the Leveson inquiry.

The Prime Minister said any such move “would undermine high quality journalism” and make it harder for journalists to hold politicians to account.

Peers backed two amendments to the Government’s Data Protection Bill on Wednesday, to tackle alleged media abuses and the launch of the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, contrary to government policy.

One measure backed by the Lords would mean newspapers not signed up to a state-supported regulator having to pay their opponents’ legal costs over alleged data protection breaches even if the newspaper won.

Critics say it is open to abuse by those who want to suppress free speech because they could pursue bogus legal claims that could potentially bankrupt newspapers, knowing the newspaper would have to pay all court costs regardless of the result. Mrs May said: “I think that the impact of this vote would undermine high-quality journalism and a free press.

“I think it would particularly have a negative impact on local newspapers, which are an important underpinning of our democracy.

“I believe passionately in a free press. We want to have a free press that is able to hold politicians and others to account and we will certainly be looking to overturn this vote in the House of Commons.”

Ian Murray, the executive director of the Society of Editors, said: “For so many of those who have a hand in deciding how our country is safeguarded to believe the best way forward is to threaten to bankrupt newspapers if they carry out investigative journalism is appalling.

“Here we are, the home of free speech and freedom of expression, and in our Mother of Parliaments we have peers with a full understanding of what they are doing voting effectively to put an end to investigative journalism, bully publishers into coming under state control and probably close down local newspapers for good.”