Keir Starmer has dismayed press regulation campaigners by confirming he has no plans to revive the second part of the Leveson inquiry into the British newspaper industry.
The prime minister told reporters on Thursday that other issues would take precedence: “We set out in our manifesto our programme for action for this government. We’ve laid that out in the king’s speech. That clearly sets out our priorities and the second half of Leveson is not among them.
“I’ve been clear that one of the purposes of a mission-driven government is to be clear about what we can achieve – the time frame, the purpose we need to put to it – but also that it dictates our priorities in government.”
Labour and News UK have declined to comment on claims that he reached an understanding before the election with the Murdoch family’s News UK, owner of the Times and the Sun, to avoid restarting the public inquiry.
Hacked Off, which campaigns for tougher press regulation, accused him of lacking the courage to stand up to newspaper owners: “Sir Keir Starmer promised a government of integrity. He cannot achieve that while failing to commit to proceeding with an unfinished inquiry into mass criminality across the most powerful industry in the country.”
The first part of Lord Leveson’s inquiry into press ethics took place more than a decade ago, in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World. After newspaper editors and victims of press intrusion were called to give evidence during 2011 and 2012, the high court judge produced a series of largely unfulfilled recommendations on how to regulate British newspapers.
The second part of the inquiry was due to examine the relationship between the media and the police, but was put on hold until the conclusion of a series of ongoing criminal investigations. This part – dubbed Leveson 2 – was then permanently cancelled by Matt Hancock, then culture secretary, in 2018 after lobbying from News UK, despite strong parliamentary backing for another inquiry.
Jeremy Corbyn pledged to revive the inquiry when he was Labour leader. But Starmer, who led the unsuccessful criminal prosecution of News UK boss Rebekah Brooks, has softened his party’s stance on press regulation. The Sun and the Sunday Times endorsed the Labour party ahead of the general election.
Newspaper lobby groups argue that the British media has changed enormously since the phone-hacking scandal, pointing out that profits and audiences have collapsed as audiences shift online. The parent companies of the Sun and the Mirror have collectively paid out more than a billion pounds in legal fees and damages over the last two decades as a result of legal cases relating to phone hacking.
The Duke of Sussex’s decision to join various phone-hacking legal actions has helped refocus attention on unresolved historic press issues. Prince Harry has already successfully sued the parent company of the Mirror, and other cases against the owners of the Sun and the Daily Mail are due to come to court next year.
