Jack Straw to pledge Labour support for libel law reform; will support single publication rule

Jack Straw is to pledge Labour's support to the national Libel Reform campaign this afternoon.
 
Straw will outline his support for a single publication rule, a reform suggested by Index on Censorship and English PEN in its November report.

The report recommended abolishing the Duke of Brunswick rule which allows multiple actions against the same story. As the law stands, a new libel action can be pursued following each new 'hit' on an online story, for example. A rule of single publication would prohibit this.

The campaign has already gained the support of the Liberal Democrats, but not the Conservative party. "The Labour Party will show a commitment to actual reform to enhance civil liberties in this country. With two of the three mayor political parties now committed to reform, we ask David Cameron to back our campaign," said John Kampfner, CEO of Index on Censorship.

Forty-three thousand supporters have signed the petition and 242 MPs have signed a Parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for libel reform (no. 423).

The Justice Secretary will outline that the government is also committed to:

• "consideration into whether a statutory public interest defence can be developed in a way which balances competing interests concerning freedom of expression and reputation";
  
• "procedural changes around rules and practice in relation to service out of the jurisdiction, to deal with “libel tourism";
  
• "work on other procedural issues e.g. early resolution of meaning and strengthening the pre-action protocol to stop lawyers running up unnecessary costs".

The campaign said that it was pleased by Straw's support but asked for further commitment from the government to reform:

• "a clearer defence of 'fair comment' in law";
• "removal of internet chat and interactive online services like blogs from liability";
• "exempting corporations from libel law unless they can prove malicious falsehood".

It also asked that the "consideration" on a statutory public interest defence "becomes a concrete commitment to a public interest defence".

"It's very exciting that Jack Straw acknowledges we have made the case for reform," Sile Lane from Sense About Science told Journalism.co.uk. "This is what we've been calling for."

Straw is to speak following a mass lobby of Parliament organised by the Libel Reform campaign, at which hundreds of supporters are expected to turn out to put pressure on their MPs to sign EDM 423.

Disclaimer: Journalism.co.uk has pledged its support to the Libel Reform campaign.

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