Leveson Inquiry

The Leveson Inquiry was established in November 2011 following revelations about phone hacking and other press misconduct. Lord Justice Leveson's report, published on 29 November 2012, made 92 recommendations covering press regulation, data protection, police-press relations, and media plurality.

The government's response was mixed. The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012 that he accepted "the principles that Lord Justice Leveson has laid out" for independent self-regulation but rejected statutory underpinning, expressing "serious concerns and misgivings" about crossing "the Rubicon of writing elements of press regulation into the law of the land." Of the 92 recommendations, the government accepted 19 (21%), accepted in principle 58 (63%), and did not accept 15 (16%).

The government's legislative response centred on establishing the Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press (October 2013) and passing the Crime and Courts Act 2013. This created an alternative to Leveson's recommended statutory framework. The Press Recognition Panel was established under the Charter, though no major news publisher has joined a recognised regulator.

Specific reforms that followed include: the Data Protection Act 2018 incorporating some Leveson recommendations, including compensation for distress without pecuniary loss and requiring the ICO to produce a journalism code of practice; the College of Policing publishing guidance on media relations; and continued publication of ministerial transparency data.

However, a key provision - Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which would have created costs incentives for joining a recognised regulator - was never commenced and was repealed in 2024. The government stated this was because "this recommendation was contingent on a costs incentive framework that no longer exists."

Published evidence of progress is limited. Records indicate that 77 of the 92 recommendations (84%) remain listed as "Awaiting Action" with no documented evidence of implementation thirteen years after the report's publication.