The Rt Hon David Cameron MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
Date: July 18th 2013
Dear David,
The Royal Charter on Press Reform
I am writing to express my concern about the continuing delay with the implementation of the Royal Charter on Press Reform that was agreed in Parliament back in March 2013. As you explained to MPs on 3rd July 2013, according to official procedure two rival charters cannot be considered at once, The Deputy Prime Minister stated before the House on 9th July 2013 that the Government would bring forward the cross party charter ‘at the earliest possible opportunity’, but failed to confirm whether the Privy Council can be called to meet in August or September, for example, to avoid yet further delays with this process.
Nor did the Deputy Prime Minister give any commitment to when the cross party charter will be put before the Privy Council, or details what measures the Government is taking to ensure that Parliament is not outmanoeuvred by the press itself on the subject of a proper response to the Leveson Inquiry. On 10th July the Privy Council set up a subcommittee to consider the press industry’s charter. Please will you explain whether this committee needs to report before the cross party Royal Charter on Press Reform can be considered by the full Privy Council – and, if so, what the committee’s timescales look like?
I look forward to hearing when the Government hopes the charter will be put to the Privy Council; and to your assurance that the delay is not a political move designed to undo the excellent progress made so far on press reform.
Yours sincerely,
Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion
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