Leveson: Parties Reach Press Regulation Deal

The three main political parties have reached a deal on how to regulate the press after months of talks.

The details are expected to be revealed in the House of Commons later, but it appears a Royal Charter will be used to create an independent regulator which will have more powers to deal with the press if it breaks the rules.

But the main point of contention - whether or not it should be underpinned by law - seems to be a matter of interpretation.

Labour claims the deal is based on their plans for a Royal Charter underpinned by law, so that it cannot be watered down or changed - suggesting the Tories have given most ground.

"What we have agreed is essentially the Royal Charter that Nick Clegg and I published on Friday. It will be underpinned by statute. Why is that important? - because it stops ministers or the press meddling with it, watering it down in the future," Labour leader Ed Miliband said.

"It will be a regulator, a system of complaints where the regulator has teeth, can direct apologies ... and it is independent of the press.

"For too long we have had a system where the press have been marking their own homework.

"There has been a lot of tough negotiation in this process, but I genuinely believe this upholds the freedom of the press ... at the same time as protecting the victims.

"People who revealed MPs' expenses, people who revealed phone hacking have nothing to fear from what has been agreed."

But Culture Secretary Maria Miller insisted there would be no statutory underpinning for the new regulatory system.

She told Sky News: "It isn't really statutory underpinning, but the important part of today is that we do have a clear way forward - three months on of intensive discussions ... a really workable solution.

"The Royal Charter is the right approach. I am really please that all three parties now are supporting the Prime Minister's recommendations, and I do hope that as a result of the discussions in Parliament today we can see this quickly swing into action."

The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are understood to have held talks for more than five hours.

David Cameron - faced with a possible defeat in a House of Commons vote on the issue - was not present but was represented by Oliver Letwin, who has been the key figure for the party in recent negotiations.

Mr Miliband, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Ms Harman also attended the talks.

Mr Clegg told Sky News that in his opinion "everybody" was a winner.

"We have secured the cherished principle of the freedom of the press, but also given innocent people reassurance that they won't be unjustifiably bullied or intimidated by powerful interests in the press without having proper recourse when that happens."

Mr Cameron has been clear that he is very uncomfortable with the idea of setting anything down in law because it could be seen as politicians meddling with the press.

However, it is understood a compromise has been reached to include three lines of statute - a clause in the legislation to ensure that any Royal Charter can not be amended in the future without two-thirds majorities in both Houses of Parliament.

There will be no industry veto of who sits on the regulator, and there will be a specific rule to ensure apologies are proportionate.

It has been welcomed by Hacked Off, the group campaigning for victims of phone hacking. London bombing hero Paul Dadge told Sky News: "This isn't to stop stories in the newspapers in the future. This is to ensure that things that happened to me, the Dowler family, the McCanns, don't happen again in the future."

But Neil Wallis, former executive editor of the News Of The World, disagreed. "What these people want to do is to control what the public is told. And if you give the State legislation, what you have not got any longer is a free press." he said.

"You can't put those words in the same sentence - 'state regulation' and 'free press'. It simply stops."

Trevor Kavanagh, former political editor of The Sun, added: "Until we've examined the fine print we will have to hold our fire, but it's a little worrying when the three political parties get together and their final verdict is welcomed so enthusiastically by Hacked Off, which is definitely seeking to shackle and gag the free press."

Mr Cameron, who last week pulled out of talks about implementing Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations, previously warned that legislation would endanger press freedom.

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