Oral Answers to Questions

Graham P Jones Excerpts

Thursday 8th September 2016 Commons Chamber

[Karen Bradley]

I am having to fill my right hon. Friend’s really enormous shoes as best I can, because he did an absolutely fantastic job in this role. He sums up the dilemma that we face. We want to have a free press, and we want to make sure that we have a strong and vibrant local press. I know from my own local titles just how important they are to people. They read the Leek Post and Times, the Biddulph Chronicle and The Sentinel, and they want to have such a strong local press.

[Graham Jones (Hyndburn) (Lab)]

12. . There has been some suggestion in the national press that this has been kicked into the long grass by Ministers. What assurances can the Secretary of State give the victims that it is not being kicked into the long grass, that Leveson part 2 will be implemented, and that we will see an end point to this?

[Karen Bradley]

The hon. Gentleman will know that some cases are pending, and until they have been completed there can be no progress on Leveson 2. I assure him that this is not being kicked into the long grass. We are looking very carefully at all the arguments from all sides to make sure we have a free press that protects the citizen.