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Leveson talks spark hopes of press regulation deal Three main party leaders to discuss deal on Leveson proposals
(about 2 hours later)
Hopes have risen of a breakthrough in long-running talks on implementing the Leveson inquiry recommendations on press regulation reform. The three party leaders are provisionally scheduled to meet on Tuesday evening to see if they can seal a deal on implementing the Leveson inquiry recommendations on press regulation reform.
The Liberal Democrats are pushing hard for a compromise deal, and seeing if Hacked Off, the victims' campaign group, and Labour can be bought on board for a deal.
In a fast-moving situation, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, and the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, are also due to meet in advance of tripartite discussions on Tuesday evening.
The prime minister's spokesman said progress was being made.
Talks on Monday night between the political parties led for the first time to the production of new details on how a royal charter overseeing the press would be implemented.Talks on Monday night between the political parties led for the first time to the production of new details on how a royal charter overseeing the press would be implemented.
The Conservatives have proposed a royal charter as a way of ensuring a permanent body is set up to oversee and verify the new press regulatory body proposed by Leveson. David Cameron has resisted Leveson's recommendation that a new regulator should have statutory underpinning.The Conservatives have proposed a royal charter as a way of ensuring a permanent body is set up to oversee and verify the new press regulatory body proposed by Leveson. David Cameron has resisted Leveson's recommendation that a new regulator should have statutory underpinning.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have been concerned that the royal charter and the verifying body could be abolished in the future at the whim of a minister, unless they are backed by statute. There has also been disagreement over the extent to which the regulatory body should be chaired by an independent figure not employed by the press.Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have been concerned that the royal charter and the verifying body could be abolished in the future at the whim of a minister, unless they are backed by statute. There has also been disagreement over the extent to which the regulatory body should be chaired by an independent figure not employed by the press.
The talks on Monday were conducted between Oliver Letwin, who is Cameron's cabinet fixer, the culture secretary, Maria Miller, Labour's shadow culture secretary, Harriet Harman, and Lord Wallace for the Liberal Democrats.The talks on Monday were conducted between Oliver Letwin, who is Cameron's cabinet fixer, the culture secretary, Maria Miller, Labour's shadow culture secretary, Harriet Harman, and Lord Wallace for the Liberal Democrats.
Later on Tuesday Labour and the Lib Dems are to meet representatives from the Hacked Off campaign, which has been lobbying on behalf of press victims, to go through the progress made at Monday's meeting. Later on Tuesday Labour and the Lib Dems are to meet representatives from the Hacked Off campaign to go through the progress made at Monday's meeting.
If Hacked Off and the political parties are happy with the new proposal it is likely there will be a meeting on Tuesday between the party leaders, Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg. A Hacked Off source said the early signs on the cross-party talks suggested "major concessions to the press on the independence of the regulator and the vital question of who writes the code".
One source said: "We are 60% there, but 40% still really near." The concerns from Hacked Off suggest that hopes that a deal would be settled at a meeting between the party leaders are by no means certain.
Various ideas have been advanced to make the royal charter permanent, including introducing a statute that does not refer to the recognition body but says that any royal charter which a future government wants to change cannot be amended by the privy council.Various ideas have been advanced to make the royal charter permanent, including introducing a statute that does not refer to the recognition body but says that any royal charter which a future government wants to change cannot be amended by the privy council.
"This would not be sector specific," the source said, but would be a statute about royal charters. The idea has been advanced by the barrister Hugh Tomlinson, one of the lawyers informally advising Hacked Off and an expert on press regulation. "This would not be sector-specific," the source said, but would be a statute about royal charters. The idea has been advanced by the barrister Hugh Tomlinson, one of the lawyers informally advising Hacked Off and an expert on press regulation.
A Labour spokesman said there had been progress, but added: "There is no agreement. There is no agreed time on a leaders' meeting." Cameron is caught between a need to satisfy a divided press industry and a desire to stick to his commitment to implement the principles behind the Leveson report.
News of the developments in the cross-party talks came as three national newspapers broke ranks with other UK media titles to propose a way to end the deadlock over regulation. The sticking points on Friday were that Conservatives were siding with newspapers who wanted a veto over appointments to the new body, control over the code of practice, and restrictions on third-party complaints.
The backdrop to the talks is the growing likelihood that if no agreement is reached, there will a deadlock, and then a threat to rest of the government's legislative programme including the enterprise and regulatory reform bill, the courts and legal services bill and the defamation bill.
News of the developments in the cross-party talks came after three national newspapers broke ranks with other UK media titles to propose a way to end the deadlock over regulation.
The move by the Guardian, Independent and Financial Times was signalled in separate editorials in the three titles.The move by the Guardian, Independent and Financial Times was signalled in separate editorials in the three titles.
An editorial in Tuesday's FT said the failure to agree on a regulatory regime would threaten vital economic reforms and could result in a backlash. "What is now needed is a practical gesture of goodwill to break the deadlock and avoid a sweeping press law," it said.An editorial in Tuesday's FT said the failure to agree on a regulatory regime would threaten vital economic reforms and could result in a backlash. "What is now needed is a practical gesture of goodwill to break the deadlock and avoid a sweeping press law," it said.
The Guardian argued in its editorial that the royal charter proposal amounted to statutory regulation "via the back door of Buckingham Palace rather than the front door of Westminster". The creation of a legal clause to underpin such a charter would offer a "constitutional fudge" that could be "amended only in the open with the agreement of an overwhelming majority of parliament".The Guardian argued in its editorial that the royal charter proposal amounted to statutory regulation "via the back door of Buckingham Palace rather than the front door of Westminster". The creation of a legal clause to underpin such a charter would offer a "constitutional fudge" that could be "amended only in the open with the agreement of an overwhelming majority of parliament".
The Independent said that while Leveson's proposal to create a legally enshrined independent regulator went too far, the arguments against some form of statutory underpinning had lost perspective. "Even reasonable halfway measures are characterised as press freedoms eroded and democratic principles laid waste," it said in its editorial.The Independent said that while Leveson's proposal to create a legally enshrined independent regulator went too far, the arguments against some form of statutory underpinning had lost perspective. "Even reasonable halfway measures are characterised as press freedoms eroded and democratic principles laid waste," it said in its editorial.