L27 Response Accepted in Part AI-assessed

Legislative Recognition Requirements

Recommendation

In order to meet the public concern that the organisation by the press of its regulation is by a body which is independent of the press, independent of Parliament and independent of the Government, that fulfils the legitimate requirements of such a body and can provide, by way of benefit to its subscribers, recognition of involvement in the maintenance of high standards of journalism, the law must identify those legitimate requirements and provide a mechanism to recognise and certify that a new body meets them.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to UK Parliament (2013-10-31), the Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press was granted on 31 October 2013, establishing the legislative framework for the recognition of an independent press regulator. According to the Official government response (2012-11-29), this Charter identifies the requirements for such a body and provides a mechanism for recognition via the Press Recognition Panel.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted in Part
Accepted in Part UK Government
29 Nov 2012

The government established a Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press (granted 30 October 2013) and passed the Crime and Courts Act 2013 as its legislative response. This was an alternative to the statutory framework Leveson recommended. The Press Recognition Panel was created under the Royal Charter as the recognition body. The Prime Minister stated on 29 November 2012 that he accepted the principles but had "serious concerns and misgivings" about statutory underpinning. Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/david-cameron-statement-in-response-to-the-leveson-inquiry-report

Read Full Response
Note: PM David Cameron responded to all 92 recommendations with a single statement accepting them "in principle" or "in part". No per-recommendation response was published.
Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Confirmed Completed
31 Oct 2013
UK Parliament legislation

The Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press was granted on 31 October 2013. It identifies the requirements for an independent regulator and provides a mechanism for recognition through the Press Recognition Panel.

View detailed findings

Royal Charter established as the legislative recognition framework, as recommended.

Crime and Courts Act 2013 and Royal Charter View Source
Source
Report An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press 29 Nov 2012
Responsible Bodies
UK Government Primary
Recommendation age 13.3 yrs
Last formal update 4863 days ago