Lord Lester is a shrewd and experienced campaigner with an eye for where progress can be made. Publication of his draft Defamation Bill was characteristically timely. Heat is building up on this issue.
Lord Lester is a shrewd and experienced campaigner with an eye for where progress can be made. Publication of his draft Defamation Bill was characteristically timely. Heat is building up on this issue. The coalition government announced plans to “review libel laws to protect freedom of speech” as part of its “programme for government”. Lord Steyn delivered a Boydell lecture at the end of May calling for major reform. Lord Lester is seeking to hurry the review into action by providing a fully fledged draft bill.
The bill was attacked by some campaigners as not being radical enough and as making litigation even more complicated. However, it amounts to a good opening fusillade. It is divided into seven sections—dealing with defences, statutory privilege, publication, cause of action, trial by jury, Parliamentary proceedings and miscellaneous matters.
The case against the current position is strong. A Guardian editorial on 7 June argued that
