Multiple Regulatory Bodies
Leveson Inquiry · An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press · Issued 29 November 2012 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
It should be possible for the recognition body to recognise more than one regulatory body, should more than one seek recognition and meet the criteria, although this is not an outcome to be advocated and, should it be necessary for that step to be taken, would represent a failure on the part of the industry.
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 Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press (October 2013) provides that the Press Recognition Panel may recognise more than one regulatory body, provided each meets the recognition criteria (Royal Charter, October 2013).
- IMPRESS is currently the only regulator to have been recognised by the PRP, having been granted recognition in October 2016 (PRP, accessed March 2026).
- IPSO has not applied for recognition. The PRP has stated that applications from other bodies would be considered on their merits (PRP, accessed March 2026).
- The Press Recognition Panel reported that IMPRESS remained the only recognised regulator, while the system remained open to applications (10th Annual Report on the Recognition System, Press Recognition Panel, 24 February 2026).
How was this evidence gathered?
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
- 24 Feb 2026 · Press Recognition Panel The recognition framework permits the Press Recognition Panel to recognise more than one qualifying regulator, although only IMPRESS is currently recognised. View source → Confirmed Completed
- 27 Feb 2025 · Press Recognition Panel The Royal Charter allows for recognition of more than one regulatory body. Currently only IMPRESS is recognised. IPSO has not sought recognition. View source → Confirmed Completed
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.