Leveson Inquiry: David Cameron resists celebrity pressure to muzzle press

DAVID Cameron said yesterday that he did not want “heavy-handed state intervention” in the activities of the press, as a result of the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

The Prime Minister resisted pressure to commit himself in advance to implementing the recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson’s upcoming report.

The Hacked Off campaign yesterday sent an open letter to Mr Cameron, voicing concern over reports suggesting he was preparing to reject statutory regulation of the press, even if it was strongly recommended by the report, due within the next few weeks.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Cameron said today that the existing system for regulating the press is “not acceptable” and he hoped Leveson would put forward a “sensible” new regime.

However, he insisted that he would wait to see what the report contained before deciding what action to take.

Asked whether he would keep to his reported promise to implement Leveson’s recommendations, providing they were not “bonkers”, Mr Cameron said : “Absolutely”.

However, he added: “We must wait for what Lord Justice Leveson says. I don’t want to try to prejudge it… We have to wait until he produces his report.”

Mr Cameron said: “We don’t want heavy-handed state intervention. We have got to have a free press. They have got to be free to uncover wrongdoing, to follow the evidence, to do the job in our democracy that they need to do.

“But on the other hand, it is quite clear people have been abused, people’s families and lives have been torn up by press intrusion.

“The status quo is not an option. Let’s let him do his work.

“I fully intend and – I think this goes right across the parties – we all want to put in place a sensible regulatory system. We are hoping Lord Justice Leveson is going to crack this problem for us. But we must let him do his work first.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In its open letter, signed by 60 victims including celebrities, 7/7 victims and members of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, Hacked Off called for an assurance that Mr Cameron would consider Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations with an open mind and that he had not already decided upon a system of continued self-regulation by the press.

“It is highly regrettable to us that these articles, and supporting comments from senior Conservative Party figures, have sought to undermine the work of the inquiry and to threaten any recommendations it may make for effective regulation of the industry,” the letter said.

Celebrity phone hacking victims including Hugh Grant, Jude Law and Charlotte Church have put their name to the letter.