{"id":120803,"date":"2023-11-05T20:29:07","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T20:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=120803"},"modified":"2023-11-05T20:29:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T20:29:07","slug":"rishi-sunak-to-scrap-draconian-libel-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/politics\/rishi-sunak-to-scrap-draconian-libel-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Rishi Sunak to scrap ‘draconian’ libel law"},"content":{"rendered":"

RISHI Sunak will scrap a \u201cdraconian\u201d law that could make newspapers pay legal costs for both sides in libel and privacy cases \u2013 regardless of who wins.<\/p>\n

Ministers have been concerned about the threat to free speech posed by the controversial legislation.
A repeal of the law will be included in Tuesday’s King’s Speech.<\/p>\n

A Government source said free press is \u201ca key part of our democracy\u201d and that forcing publishers to pay the costs of legal actions, win or lose, \u201crisks undermining press freedom\u201d.<\/p>\n

Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act means that news publishers would have to pay the costs of any court judgement if they are not a member of an \u201capproved regulator\u201d, whatever the outcome of the case.<\/p>\n

But no national newspapers have signed up to the only state-approved regulator, Impress, which was established with funding from Max Mosley, in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry into the press.<\/p>\n

Instead most national and local newspapers are members of the independent regulator Ipso.<\/p>\n

Culture Minister Sir John Whittingdale, has described it as a \u201csword of Damocles hanging over all sections of the press\u201d
Last week Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the Government will legislate to tackle \u201cunscrupulous lawsuits\u201d.<\/p>\n

The plans to repeal Section 40 will be set out in the forthcoming Media Bill and will be seen as a major victory for a free press.<\/p>\n

Labour, which opposes the scrapping of Section 40, could reverse the plans if it wins the next general election.<\/p>\n