Today in Parliament, press regulation was top of the agenda. The government secured a Commons victory overturning a Lords amendment to effectively implement section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, a Leveson recommendation. The Lords passed the amendment — as part of the investigatory powers bill — last month for victims of hacking by newspapers to be protected from paying the costs of bringing their claims in the civil courts. This afternoon it was overturned — despite Labour’s best efforts to keep it — with a majority of 37, defeated by 298 votes to 261.
The result comes after Bradley was accused of a ‘cover-up of a cover-up’ over Leveson this morning. In statement to the Commons about press regulation, the Culture Secretary announced that the government is considering shelving the follow-up Leveson inquiry to investigate corrupt dealings between the press and police.
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