Recommendation L27: Legislative Recognition Requirements
From An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press, published 29 November 2012.
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.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended establishing legal requirements and a mechanism to recognise independent press regulators. In the Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press, granted by the Privy Council in October 2013, recitals addressed the recommendation for a recognition body to certify independent press regulators (Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press, Oct 2013). Earlier, in March 2013, David Cameron, Prime Minister, stated that statutory regulation to create a recognition body was not necessary and announced that it would be achieved "via a royal charter" (David Cameron response, Mar 2013).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
As I believe we have shown today, statutory regulation of our media, and statutory regulation to create a recognition body, is not necessary to achieve the Leveson principles. We can do it—indeed we will do it—via a royal charter.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: The Prime Minister's speech opening the House of Commons emergency debate on the Royal Charter on Press Conduct, 18 March 2013, as recorded in the Official Report (HC Deb vol 560, cols 632 to 634). The GOV.UK copy of the speech is the script written before it was delivered; its wording differs, and one of its passages is not in the Official Report at all, so the site quotes the record. He speaks for the Government; the site files his words under the Prime Minister's Office.
Site note: The Prime Minister gives this passage once, for the report's proposals for statutory recognition of a press regulator as a whole (col 633). The same words are recorded on recommendations 27, 28, 29, 30, 32 and 33.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
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.
Delivery
UK Government states no delivery position (30 October 2013)
AND WHEREAS the Report of the Inquiry recommended that there should be a mechanism to recognise and certify an independent regulatory body or bodies for the press, and that the responsibility for such recognition and certification should rest with a recognition body: AND WHEREAS the Report of the Inquiry recommended that such a recognition body should not be involved in the regulation of the press:
From: Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press
Site note: The passage is the text of the Royal Charter on Self-Regulation of the Press, granted on 30 October 2013. The Charter sets up the Recognition Panel and the criteria a press regulator must meet to be recognised. It does not report what any regulator or publisher has done.
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for the two recitals of the Report's recommendations on a recognition body. The same words are recorded on L27 and L28.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street
Response - UK Government
Delivery statement