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Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Future of press watchdog financed by late Formula One tycoon thrown into doubt amid bitter funding row
The future of a controversial state-approved Press watchdog has been thrown into doubt amid a bitter funding row, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Impress, backed by money from the late Formula One tycoon Max Mosley, was established after the Leveson Inquiry into Press standards and regulates more than 200 small publications and websites. But no national newspapers have joined because of objections to any form of state interference. Now Impress has warned that the entire state-approved Press regulation system faces collapse due to the absence of major titles and because of the 'crippling' fees it has to pay an obscure quango called the Press Recognition Panel (PRP). The PRP, set up by a Royal Charter to oversee any state-backed Press regulators, charged Impress more than £276,000 last year. That is equivalent to about a quarter of the annual funding Impress receives indirectly from the estate of Mr Mosley, who made it his personal mission to muzzle the Press. In a damning submission to the PRP, Impress highlighted how it has repeatedly urged the panel to reduce its fees. 'Despite being aware repeatedly of the crippling effect of its charges upon Impress, the PRP has not minimised its own costs,' it said. 'Independent Press regulation will not survive if two problems are not addressed: the absence of all high-turnover publishers from the regulatory system, and the requirement for the regulator to finance the PRP.' Granted state recognition in 2016, Impress has faced criticism for accepting millions of pounds from Mr Mosley, whose violent and racist past was exposed by the Mail. Almost all national and local newspapers, including the MoS, are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), which is free of state control. Meanwhile, the PRP, which reviews Impress every three years, was given £3 million by the Treasury when it was set up in 2014 – but it was then supposed to fend for itself. However, the MoS has learned that, on top of the fees it charges Impress, it is also still receiving £430,000 of public money each year. It received its most recent tranche of taxpayers' cash in April – despite accounts showing the quango was sitting on more than £1.5 million in reserves last year. Impress insisted its warning related to the survival of 'independent Press regulation more broadly' rather than its own organisation. It said its staff 'have taken steps to ensure the financial viability of the organisation and our ability to deliver on our mission is maintained for the foreseeable future.' The PRP says under the terms of the Charter it cannot alter the fees.
STV News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Latest hearing in Duke of Sussex legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
A further hearing in the Duke of Sussex's High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is set to begin on Tuesday. Harry and several other high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, are bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, 'blagging' private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations. ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as 'lurid' and 'simply preposterous'. The two-day hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to begin on Tuesday, and comes just days after Harry lost a Court of Appeal battle over his security arrangements while in the UK. It is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations. Baroness Doreen Lawrence arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice for an earlier hearing in the case / Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's bid for a ruling in its favour before a trial, after the publisher's lawyers argued the claims were brought 'far too late'. Then, in March last year, Government ministers ruled that confidential documents from the Leveson Inquiry relating to Daily Mail records of payments to private investigators could be disclosed in the duke's claim, after changing restrictions on the documents put in place during the inquiry. Then-culture secretary Lucy Frazer and then-home secretary James Cleverly said in a joint statement that they had altered the restrictions 'for the purposes of the legal proceedings' as the 'public interest in promoting the just, speedy and economic resolution of the proceedings outweighs the countervailing public interests'. At a hearing in November last year, the court heard from ANL's lawyers that Baroness Lawrence was 'alerted' to a potential legal claim by a text from the Duke of Sussex in January 2022, and met lawyers Harry had been working with a few days later. The trial of the claims could be held in 2026 and last up to nine weeks, with Mr Justice Nicklin and Judge David Cook stating in a ruling in January that the two sides' proposed budgets – totalling more than £38.8 million – were 'manifestly excessive and therefore disproportionate'. Harry was previously awarded £140,600 in damages after suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), and received 'substantial damages' after settling a claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN) in January this year. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Latest hearing in Duke of Sussex legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
A further hearing in the Duke of Sussex's High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is set to begin on Tuesday. Harry and several other high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, are bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, 'blagging' private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations. ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as 'lurid' and 'simply preposterous'. The two-day hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to begin on Tuesday, and comes just days after Harry lost a Court of Appeal battle over his security arrangements while in the UK. It is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations. In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's bid for a ruling in its favour before a trial, after the publisher's lawyers argued the claims were brought 'far too late'. Then, in March last year, Government ministers ruled that confidential documents from the Leveson Inquiry relating to Daily Mail records of payments to private investigators could be disclosed in the duke's claim, after changing restrictions on the documents put in place during the inquiry. Then-culture secretary Lucy Frazer and then-home secretary James Cleverly said in a joint statement that they had altered the restrictions 'for the purposes of the legal proceedings' as the 'public interest in promoting the just, speedy and economic resolution of the proceedings outweighs the countervailing public interests'. At a hearing in November last year, the court heard from ANL's lawyers that Baroness Lawrence was 'alerted' to a potential legal claim by a text from the Duke of Sussex in January 2022, and met lawyers Harry had been working with a few days later. The trial of the claims could be held in 2026 and last up to nine weeks, with Mr Justice Nicklin and Judge David Cook stating in a ruling in January that the two sides' proposed budgets – totalling more than £38.8 million – were 'manifestly excessive and therefore disproportionate'. Harry was previously awarded £140,600 in damages after suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), and received 'substantial damages' after settling a claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN) in January this year.
Powys County Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Latest hearing in Duke of Sussex legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
A further hearing in the Duke of Sussex's High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is set to begin on Tuesday. Harry and several other high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, are bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, 'blagging' private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations. ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as 'lurid' and 'simply preposterous'. The two-day hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to begin on Tuesday, and comes just days after Harry lost a Court of Appeal battle over his security arrangements while in the UK. It is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations. In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's bid for a ruling in its favour before a trial, after the publisher's lawyers argued the claims were brought 'far too late'. Then, in March last year, Government ministers ruled that confidential documents from the Leveson Inquiry relating to Daily Mail records of payments to private investigators could be disclosed in the duke's claim, after changing restrictions on the documents put in place during the inquiry. Then-culture secretary Lucy Frazer and then-home secretary James Cleverly said in a joint statement that they had altered the restrictions 'for the purposes of the legal proceedings' as the 'public interest in promoting the just, speedy and economic resolution of the proceedings outweighs the countervailing public interests'. At a hearing in November last year, the court heard from ANL's lawyers that Baroness Lawrence was 'alerted' to a potential legal claim by a text from the Duke of Sussex in January 2022, and met lawyers Harry had been working with a few days later. The trial of the claims could be held in 2026 and last up to nine weeks, with Mr Justice Nicklin and Judge David Cook stating in a ruling in January that the two sides' proposed budgets – totalling more than £38.8 million – were 'manifestly excessive and therefore disproportionate'.
Leader Live
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Latest hearing in Duke of Sussex legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
Harry and several other high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, are bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, 'blagging' private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations. ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as 'lurid' and 'simply preposterous'. The two-day hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to begin on Tuesday, and comes just days after Harry lost a Court of Appeal battle over his security arrangements while in the UK. It is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations. Baroness Doreen Lawrence arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice for an earlier hearing in the case (Gareth Fuller/PA) In November 2023, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed ANL's bid for a ruling in its favour before a trial, after the publisher's lawyers argued the claims were brought 'far too late'. Then, in March last year, Government ministers ruled that confidential documents from the Leveson Inquiry relating to Daily Mail records of payments to private investigators could be disclosed in the duke's claim, after changing restrictions on the documents put in place during the inquiry. Then-culture secretary Lucy Frazer and then-home secretary James Cleverly said in a joint statement that they had altered the restrictions 'for the purposes of the legal proceedings' as the 'public interest in promoting the just, speedy and economic resolution of the proceedings outweighs the countervailing public interests'. At a hearing in November last year, the court heard from ANL's lawyers that Baroness Lawrence was 'alerted' to a potential legal claim by a text from the Duke of Sussex in January 2022, and met lawyers Harry had been working with a few days later. The trial of the claims could be held in 2026 and last up to nine weeks, with Mr Justice Nicklin and Judge David Cook stating in a ruling in January that the two sides' proposed budgets – totalling more than £38.8 million – were 'manifestly excessive and therefore disproportionate'. Harry was previously awarded £140,600 in damages after suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), and received 'substantial damages' after settling a claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN) in January this year.
