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Andrew Turner MP is one of 86 politicians from the three major parties opposed to new press laws if Lord Justice Leveson recommends state regulation on Thursday.
In a letter to the Daily Telegraph they say, “As Parliamentarians, we believe in free speech and are opposed to the imposition of any form of statutory control even if it is dressed up as underpinning. It is redress that is vital, not broader regulation.”
Going back 300+ years
They said state regulation would lead to newspaper licensing, which was last tried during the English Civil War in 1643 and scrapped 50 years later.
The 86 who signed the letter this week added that the status quo is not an option.
“We cannot countenance newspapers behaving as some have in the past. The solution is not new laws but a profound restructuring of the self-regulatory system.”
The letter in full can be read on the Telegraph Website.
Lord Leveson’s inquiry
Lord Leveson was asked in 2011 by the Prime Minister to investigate the role of the press and police in the phone-hacking scandal.
He looked at the culture, practices and ethics of the media and the relationship of the press with the public, police and politicians.
He called many witnesses, including celebrities, victims of phone hacking, newspaper reporters, proprietors, police officers and politicians.
