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Nick Clegg urges newspapers to accept press regulation proposals Nick Clegg urges newspapers to accept press regulation proposals
(35 minutes later)
Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, has appealed to newspapers to join the new system of press regulation, saying he hoped they would accept that the system was one of self-regulation with incentives. Nick Clegg has appealed to newspapers to join the new system of press regulation, saying he hoped they would accept that it was one of self-regulation with incentives.
He said some in the industry had reacted to the proposals, agreed on Monday in parliament, in a "slightly melodramatic" way. The deputy prime minister said some in the industry had reacted in a "slightly melodramatic" way to the proposals, which were agreed in parliament on Monday.
Speaking on LBC radio, he said: "Of course I understand how passions run strong on this subject but I do hope, as the dust settles, people will see that what we adhered to across parties and with an overwhelming majority in parliament is the basic design of Leveson of self-regulation with incentives."Speaking on LBC radio, he said: "Of course I understand how passions run strong on this subject but I do hope, as the dust settles, people will see that what we adhered to across parties and with an overwhelming majority in parliament is the basic design of Leveson of self-regulation with incentives."
It is his first remarks since parliament backed a royal charter, exemplary damages and a proposal to underpin the charter by a form of statute. Large sections of the newspaper industry have indicated that they are unlikely to co-operate, leaving parliament and the coalition with a dilemma on how to respond. It was the first time Clegg had commented since parliament backed a royal charter, exemplary damages and a proposal to underpin the charter by a form of statute. Large sections of the newspaper industry have indicated that they are unlikely to co-operate, leaving parliament and the coalition with a dilemma over how to respond.
Clegg said: "The whole point of the Leveson design is to avoid heavy-handed state regulation and government going in with both boots and imposing things. The aim was to create a system of incentives, and those incentives are: for those newspapers who don't participate in the system the courts will be able to impose exemplary costs and damages." He described this as a "pounds and pence incentive". The Liberal Democrat leader said: "The whole point of the Leveson design is to avoid heavy-handed state regulation and government going in with both boots and imposing things. The aim was to create a system of incentives, and those incentives are: for those newspapers who don't participate in the system the courts will be able to impose exemplary costs and damages." He described this as a "pounds and pence incentive".
He denied that the late-night meeting in Ed Miliband's office on Sunday attended by members of Hacked Off – but not the press – was a critical moment in the talks. The presence of Hacked Off, the campaign for victims of press intrusion, Oliver Letwin, Clegg and Miliband has led to claims that the media were excluded from the decisive summit. He denied that the late-night meeting in Ed Miliband's office on Sunday attended by members of Hacked Off – but not the press – was a critical moment in the talks. The presence of the campaign group for victims of press intrusion, Oliver Letwin, Clegg and Miliband has led to claims that the media were excluded from the decisive summit.
He said the meeting "had focused on technical legal definitions of what represented exemplary damages. It dealt with a tiny, tiny piece of the jigsaw – how you define exemplary damages. It was about filling in one piece of the canvas."He said the meeting "had focused on technical legal definitions of what represented exemplary damages. It dealt with a tiny, tiny piece of the jigsaw – how you define exemplary damages. It was about filling in one piece of the canvas."
He said there had been many other meetings with the newspaper industry including a huge number of previous meetings with the press that Hacked Off had not attended. He said there had been many other meetings with the newspaper industry, including a large number that Hacked Off had not attended.
He said: "The central and only point that was remaining late on being discussed on Sunday night – and by the way I left before midnight – was this highly technical and legalistic argument of the wording on exemplary damages.He said: "The central and only point that was remaining late on being discussed on Sunday night – and by the way I left before midnight – was this highly technical and legalistic argument of the wording on exemplary damages.
"If this was the great papal conclave where everything was resolved from top to bottom then of course everyone should be there or frankly no one should be there – neither the press nor Hacked Off.""If this was the great papal conclave where everything was resolved from top to bottom then of course everyone should be there or frankly no one should be there – neither the press nor Hacked Off."
He said he did not know who had asked Hacked Off to the meeting.He said he did not know who had asked Hacked Off to the meeting.
Clegg said the old regulatory system, the Press Complaints Commission "had descended into a complete farce because the newspapers that got into trouble [and] was judge and jury on itself. Clegg said the old regulatory system under the Press Complaints Commission "had descended into a complete farce because the newspapers that got into trouble [and] was judge and jury on itself".
"In some senses they have reacted in a slightly melodramatic manner. The model of Leveson to which we adhere remains self-regulation, but self-regulation that you can believe in." "In some senses they have reacted in a slightly melodramatic manner. The model of Leveson to which we adhere remains self-regulation, but self-regulation that you can believe in.
He said: "We are not imposing regulations on the press; we are saying the press set up a self regulation system but that body is checked every two or three years to ensure it is really independent of the press and is a system that can help innocent people who have been unjustifiably bullied and intimidated so they have a recourse." "We are not imposing regulations on the press; we are saying the press set up a self-regulation system but that body is checked every two or three years to ensure it is really independent of the press and is a system that can help innocent people who have been unjustifiably bullied and intimidated so they have a recourse."