Labour announce press regulation deal

Labour has announced that a deal has been struck on press regulation.

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman has said that a deal has been struck. Culture Secretary Maria Miller (pictured) has insisted that a deal is “close” following several hours of talks held late last night.

Labour leader Ed Miliband has confirmed that talks went on until 2.30am this morning saying that the deal will “satisfy the press and pressure groups”.

There has been no official word yet from the government.

Last week Prime Minister David Cameron announced in a press conference that he was pulling out of talks after failing to agree on the right way to regulate the press.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats had been pushing for statutory regulation but Miller has said this morning that all three agree that the Prime Minister’s royal charter is the ‘right way’ forward.

Labour and the Lib Dems had hoped that the Prime Minister would back statutory regulation for the press. Mr Cameron is pushing for a royal charter which would see a new voluntary body, similar to the existing Press Complaints Commission, which could enforce new rules more effectively.

It follows the Leveson report published last year in which the Press Complaints Commission was found to be ‘not fit for purpose’.

The Leveson Inquiry was set up following the phone-hacking scandal which was exposed in 2011 by the Guardian newspaper. The now defunct News of the World had intercepted voicemail messages of celebrities and members of the public who had been in the news.