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| Royal charter: political parties reach deal on press regulation system | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| The culture secretary, Maria Miller, has reached agreement with Labour and the Liberal Democrats over a new royal charter system for press regulation, after all three parties agreed on minor concessions aimed largely at placating local newspaper groups. | |
| A final draft of the royal charter (pdf) was published on Friday afternoon, ending days of political wrangling between the three parties over concerns raised by the major newspaper groups. | A final draft of the royal charter (pdf) was published on Friday afternoon, ending days of political wrangling between the three parties over concerns raised by the major newspaper groups. |
| But the revised document looks unlikely to satisfy a majority of the national newspaper publishers, who indicated that the changes offered would probably not be enough for them to create a press regulator that would be compliant with the royal charter system. | |
| The revised charter addresses concerns raised by local and regional publishers by introducing a small administration fee for complainants who wish to use the new regulator's arbitration scheme, which aims to settle legal disputes out of court. | The revised charter addresses concerns raised by local and regional publishers by introducing a small administration fee for complainants who wish to use the new regulator's arbitration scheme, which aims to settle legal disputes out of court. |
| The final draft also includes changes to the committee that draws up the newspaper code of practice, abolishing quotas which previously limited membership to one-third each of serving newspapers editors, journalists and independent members. | The final draft also includes changes to the committee that draws up the newspaper code of practice, abolishing quotas which previously limited membership to one-third each of serving newspapers editors, journalists and independent members. |
| The deal was reached on Friday following three days of private talks between the parties in an effort to persuade the newspaper industry to sign up before its delayed sealing by the privy council on 30 October. | The deal was reached on Friday following three days of private talks between the parties in an effort to persuade the newspaper industry to sign up before its delayed sealing by the privy council on 30 October. |
| The revised charter offers three significant concessions to the industry, including two aimed at addressing concerns raised by regional publishers, including Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press. | The revised charter offers three significant concessions to the industry, including two aimed at addressing concerns raised by regional publishers, including Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press. |
| Those publishers will now be able to opt out of an arbitration scheme if they can prove it is causing them "serious financial harm". They had warned that they could be driven out of business by lawyers who encouraged complainants to seek compensation from the regulator's arbitration arm, rather than use its complaints unit. | Those publishers will now be able to opt out of an arbitration scheme if they can prove it is causing them "serious financial harm". They had warned that they could be driven out of business by lawyers who encouraged complainants to seek compensation from the regulator's arbitration arm, rather than use its complaints unit. |
| Complainants will also be charged a small fee to use the arbitration service – which will be recoverable if they are successful – in another move designed to win support from the local and regional press. | Complainants will also be charged a small fee to use the arbitration service – which will be recoverable if they are successful – in another move designed to win support from the local and regional press. |
| A third amendment opens the way for serving editors to have a greater role on the committee that establishes the code of practice, removing the quotas that limited their membership to just one-third, alongside independent members and other journalists. | A third amendment opens the way for serving editors to have a greater role on the committee that establishes the code of practice, removing the quotas that limited their membership to just one-third, alongside independent members and other journalists. |
| One government source familiar with the talks said the deal showed that ministers had not "stuck their fingers in their ears". The government was in "listening mode", although any more changes would require further cross-party agreement, the source said. | One government source familiar with the talks said the deal showed that ministers had not "stuck their fingers in their ears". The government was in "listening mode", although any more changes would require further cross-party agreement, the source said. |
| In a strongly worded statement, the group representing the biggest newspaper owners showed little sign of being won over by the changes. | |
| "We welcome the fact that, after more than six months, politicians are finally seeing some of the flaws in their unacceptable and unilateral March 18 charter. We will study their latest proposals closely," said the steering group which is leading industry plans for a rival system of self-regulation. | |
| "However this remains a charter written by politicians, imposed by politicians and controlled by politicians. It has not been approved by any of the newspapers or magazines it seeks to regulate. | |
| "Meanwhile the industry's charter was rejected by eight politicians, meeting in secret, and chaired by the same politician who is promoting the politicians' charter. | |
| "Lord Justice Leveson called for 'voluntary, independent self-regulation' of the press. It is impossible to see how a regulator operating under rules imposed by politicians, and enforced by draconian and discriminatory provisions for damages and costs in civil cases, could be said to be either voluntary or independent." | |
| News UK, the publisher of the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times, had indicated on Thursday that it would press on with plans to establish a self-regulator which it said satisfied virtually all of the recommendations proposed by Leveson last November. | |
| Hacked Off, the group representing victims of press intrusion, including the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, said the amended royal charter meant that the press now had no reason to object to joining the regulator. | |
| "We note that in the last-minute technical changes to the charter there have been further concessions to the press industry lobby, notably that it now permits an administrative charge for members of the public to use the new arbitration service," said Professor Brian Cathcart, the executive director of Hacked Off. | |
| "This is not what Lord Justice Leveson recommended and may well deter some members of the public from seeking redress when they have been wronged by news publishers. We trust that those newspaper organisations which have been demanding this change – notably the local and regional press – will now accept that they have no reason to object to the system and will fully embrace the charter process." | |
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