Ofcom as Recognition Body
Leveson Inquiry · An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · Issued 29 November 2012 · Addressed to: Ofcom
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The role of recognition body, that is to say, to recognise and certify that any particular body satisfies (and, on review, continues to satisfy) the requirements set out in law should fall on Ofcom. A less attractive alternative (on the basis that any individual will not have the requisite authority or experience and will only be occasionally be required to fulfil these functions) is for the appointment of an independent Recognition Commissioner supported by officials at Ofcom.
Leveson Inquiry, An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · 29 Nov 2012 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The government chose the Royal Charter alternative, creating the Press Recognition Panel rather than giving the recognition role to Ofcom (Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press, October 2013).
- The PRP is operational and has fulfilled the recognition function, recognising IMPRESS in 2016 and conducting cyclical reviews (PRP, accessed March 2026).
- Ofcom has no role in press regulation recognition. The recognition function is performed by the PRP as an independent body funded through the Exchequer (PRP Annual Report 2024-25, September 2025).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
The government established a Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press (granted 30 October 2013) and passed the Crime and Courts Act 2013 as its legislative response. This was an alternative to the statutory framework Leveson recommended. The Press Recognition Panel was created under the Royal Charter as the recognition body. The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012 that he accepted the principles but had "serious concerns and misgivings" about statutory underpinning. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/david-cameron-statement-in-response-to-the-leveson-inquiry-report
UK Government · 29 Nov 2012 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 27 Feb 2025 · Press Recognition Panel Leveson recommended Ofcom as the recognition body. Instead, the Royal Charter created a separate Press Recognition Panel. The PRP is operational but is a less established body than Ofcom and has limited influence given that the major press refuses to engage with the recognition system. View source → Reasonable Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.