Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Definition of Newspaper) Order 2025 Enterprise Act 2002 (Amendment of Section 58 Considerations) Order 2025 Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Max Wilkinson
Main Page: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)Department Debates - View all Max Wilkinson's debates with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Definition of Newspaper) Order 2025
Enterprise Act 2002 (Amendment of Section 58 Considerations) Order 2025
Max Wilkinson Excerpts(1 day, 19 hours ago)
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Max Wilkinson (Cheltenham) (LD)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Hobhouse. The Minister presented these orders as a tidying-up job, but the Liberal Democrats believe they need to be viewed in the broader context of the recent SI allowing up to 15% ownership of newspapers by foreign Governments. We remain concerned about the sale of any portion of UK news media to foreign Governments. The shadow Minister, the right hon. Member for Daventry, raised the issue of cumulative ownership, and I hope that the Minister will reassure us on that later.
I do not agree with everything written in UK newspapers. Indeed, since my election I have been described by one commentator as a “drab clunker”, and more recently by another as a “pillock” and an “idiot.” I assure the Committee that I have been called much worse in my political career, but at least I can be sure that what is written in the UK press is not written by journalists under the influence of a company part owned by a foreign Government, including those who are hostile to British values, the UK Government, or Britain as a whole.
The Minister knows that my style as a Liberal Democrat spokesperson is firm but fair scrutiny, mostly with a smile, and we have a decent relationship on that basis. I have asked some very clear written questions of the Government on the broader issue of foreign state ownership of UK news, but I regret that the answers so far have left a large grey area and given us cause for concern.
Even if the Government are in favour of the sale of UK media to foreign Governments, the official Opposition are ambivalent about it or in favour, and the plastic patriots in Reform UK are actively in favour, the Liberal Democrats intend to stand up for the independence of our media as a crucial pillar of our democracy. We opposed the initial legislation on this issue a few weeks ago, and unless the Minister can provide the reassurances we seek, we will oppose the regulations today and in future.