Party leaders at war over deal on press regulation

David Cameron during a press conference, where he announced that the cross-party talks on a new system of regulation for the press had 'concluded without agreement'.

The Prime Minister insisted the agreement on a royal charter, struck in the early hours of this morning, avoided the need for a law to control newspapers.

But his Labour and Liberal Democrat counterparts said there would be statutory underpinning, with legislation guaranteeing that the system could not be watered down.

Speaking to reporters this morning, Mr Cameron said: “It’s not statutory underpinning. What it is is simply a clause that says politicians can’t fiddle with this so it takes it further away from politicians, which is actually, I think, a sensible step.”

Mr Cameron added: “What we wanted to avoid and we have avoided is a press law.

“Nowhere will it say what this body is, what it does, what it can’t do, what the press can and can’t do. That, quiet rightly, is being kept out of Parliament.

“So no statutory underpinning but a safeguard that says politicians can’t in future fiddle with this arrangement.”

The Prime Minister added: “I’m delighted with this deal. I’ve always wanted two things and that is a strong regulator to stand up for the victims and we have got that and also a proper defence of press freedom and we have got that.

“What’s happened is that everyone has accepted my argument for a royal charter. Why does that matter? Well I thought it was important to avoid a press law, a law that said the press can do this, the regulator’s got to do that. That would be dangerous, that’s not going to happen and that’s what we secured and that’s why this is a good deal.”