PCC chairman warns stifling press risks ‘Pandora’s box’

Introducing a new parliamentary bill to regulate newspapers would “open a Pandora’s box” which could stifle freedom of speech, the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) warned yesterday.

Lord Hunt of Wirral told the Leveson Inquiry that many MPs and peers had told him they would try to use any legislation to control the press.

The Conservative peer, who became PCC chairman in October, said his 35 years in parliament had taught him to oppose any form of statutory regulation of newspapers.

He told the hearing: “There are very strong views in parliament that there must be stronger limits on the power of the press, and this would therefore in my mind open a Pandora’s box.

“It would be, for many of my colleagues in parliament, a wonderful moment if they were given the opportunity to move amendments to debate a bill regulating the press, and I just do not know what would emerge the other side.

“We were determined that what would emerge from the 2005 act was the independence of the judiciary. There is no such agreement about the independence of the press.”

He added: “The road to parliamentary hell is paved with good intentions.”

Inquiry chairman Lord Justice Leveson asked him: “Do you think parliament might seek to use any form of legislation, however it was cast, as a way of controlling the press?”

Lord Hunt replied: “Yes, and they have told me so, many of them in both houses.”

SAM MARSDEN