When the hon. Gentleman heard me say those things, I was not yet shadow Home Secretary.
There were concerns when section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 was not commenced in summer 2015. The right hon. Member for Maldon (Mr Whittingdale), the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, was asked about it by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, but he refused to be drawn on it. He said at the Society of Editors conference in October 2015 that he was not minded to commence section 40. We believe that that is a breach of the cross-party agreement, and that it breaks the promises made to the House and, perhaps even more importantly, those made to victims.
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Just last week, the Press Recognition Panel produced its first annual report, which stated that the Leveson system has not even been brought into effect. Only after section 40 is commenced will the system be in place. The PRP was highly critical of the Government’s failure on section 40 and described its non-commencement as an interference in the freedom of the press, because it allowed the Government to hold section 40 commencement as a sword of Damocles over the press.
Just last Monday, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport indicated that she had no intention of commencing section 40. The following day, newspapers ran stories saying that the Government had ditched section 40, crediting a Government source. The Minister cannot be surprised, therefore, that we are pressing the issue. It is reprehensible that the Government are resisting implementing what is widely regarded as a key provision of the Leveson inquiry. While the Government refuse to fulfil their commitments, we will not back down from supporting measures to assist victims of press abuses and their families.