Press briefing - morning 18 March 2013
The Prime Minister's Spokesperson (PMS) answered questions on the Leveson Inquiry, childcare and recall powers for MPs.
Leveson
Asked about the cross party agreement on press regulation, the PMS said that the agreed royal charter enshrined a non-legislative approach to press regulation and avoided the risks of statutory underpinning of press regulation. The parties had agreed to insert a ‘no change’ clause for royal charters into the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, which would apply to all royal charters from 1 March 2013. A revised charter would be published in due course to reflect the amendments made from the version published by the PM the previous week. The PM thought that the agreed approach was the right one and would also unblock the legislative programme. Asked for detail on the cross party talks, the PMS said that talks had included discussions at ministerial and party leader level over several weeks. The Minister for Government Policy had represented the government in final talks the previous evening, with the PM being kept in close touch.
Childcare
Asked whether the government was going to make an announcement on childcare, the PMS said that the government was going to bring forward proposals in due course.
Recall
Questioned over government plans to introduce recall powers for MPs, the PMS said that the government was still considering proposals.