Strong words in the Lords today about the media and the government’s stance on Leveson, but what are the discussions like between the three parties behind the scenes?
Though they started off with some similarly stern words, the cross-party talks on the response to the Leveson report have, all sides agree, been progressing well. Far from the communication breakdown that some envisaged, there has been a relatively pleasant atmosphere. The Lib Dems and Labour, though they disagree with the Conservative line, are both keen to praise Oliver Letwin in particular for the way he is conducting the discussions, and for going away and working on the details discussed in each session.
Some progress has been made on the detail of the undertakings for media organisations, but Labour is refusing to budge on the fundamental principle of statutory underpinning. A party source tells me:
‘In a number of ways we are making real progress in terms of the detail: we’ve agreed that the undertakings should be on the fuller side rather than lacking in detail.
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