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Leveson report: Labour to publish press standards plan Leveson report: Labour publishes press standards plan
(about 11 hours later)
Labour is set to publish details of how it would like to see the press regulated in the wake of Lord Justice Leveson's href="http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1213/hc07/0780/0780_i.pdf" >press standards report. Labour has published details of how it would like to see the press regulated in the wake of Lord Justice Leveson's report on press standards.
Under the plans, a panel of senior judges headed by the lord chief justice would certify that the press had set up a robust form of self regulation.Under the plans, a panel of senior judges headed by the lord chief justice would certify that the press had set up a robust form of self regulation.
And Labour says freedom of the press would also be written into law. Labour also says freedom of the press would also be written into law.
The Lib Dems have greeted the move but PM David Cameron has questioned whether the media should be state regulated. Government sources dismissed it as "a series of top lines which would not stand up to parliamentary scrutiny".
The proposal is now likely to be discussed at cross-party talks on Thursday. BBC political correspondent Norman Smith said sources had said the legislation lacked details and therefore would not be workable.
It will be discussed, along with the government's own draft bill, during the next round of cross-party talks on Thursday.
In his report, commissioned in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal, Lord Justice Leveson recommended an independent self-regulatory body for the newspaper industry, backed up by legislation to ensure its independence and effectiveness.
All the main parties agree that the press needs to introduce a more robust form of self-regulation, but Mr Cameron has argued that it would be complex to write a new system into law.
Labour has produced a short draft bill of its own in an attempt to prove him wrong.
Its measures include:
  • a requirement that ministers and public agents protect press freedom
  • the creation of an independent press standards body
  • the setting-up of a panel, headed by the Lord Chief Justice, which recognises this body and conducts a "health check" every three years
  • criteria by which the judiciary would determine whether the body has shown it is carrying out its functions
  • a list of incentives to encourage the press to join the body
Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said the press had vowed to change its complaints system after seeing the "horrific effect" of its behaviour on people such as the families of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
"But what Lord Justice Leveson said is that in the past, when the press have shown good intentions, what has happened is after a few years the press have slipped back. So what this does is put a guarantee that the good intentions the press are now showing will be stuck to," she said.
Labour has also dropped its initial support for broadcasting regulator Ofcom to have any say over the written media.Labour has also dropped its initial support for broadcasting regulator Ofcom to have any say over the written media.
All the main parties agree that the press needs to introduce a more robust form of self regulation.
But Mr Cameron has argued that it would be complex to write a new system into law.
Labour has produced a short, six-clause draft bill of its own in an attempt to prove him wrong.
It has also made an attempt to tackle the issue of defining what constitutes the press - covering not just newspapers but periodicals and their online content.It has also made an attempt to tackle the issue of defining what constitutes the press - covering not just newspapers but periodicals and their online content.
The BBC's Iain Watson said: "Only the government can ensure legislation is passed and the prime minister remains sceptical that it's necessary.
"He has urged the press to come up swiftly with much tougher plans for self regulation including £1m fines for those publications which fail to meet agreed standards."