Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for a media interview at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi during his visit to the United Arab Emirates
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for a media interview at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi during his visit to the United Arab Emirates
(PA Wire)
The Boris Johnson government is planning to prevent the rich and powerful from “abusing” the court to silence journalists and campaigners as a part of a series of reforms aimed at protecting free speech and targeting Russian oligarchs and other corrupt elites.
Mr Johnson promised to tackle the “chilling effect” of a “new kind of lawfare” that is being used by wealthy individuals to intimidate journalists through lengthy and expensive legal action.
The move comes days after Britain pushed through a new legislation to crack down on “dirty money” flowing through London, as a part of measures aimed at targeting those close to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.
The deputy prime minister Dominic Raab will set out proposals that take aim at so-called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. These will range from considering measures to change libel laws to strengthening public interest defence, capping the legal costs claimants could recover and requiring them to prove “actual malice”.
Meanwhile, the prime minister failed to secure commitments from Saudi Arabia to step up oil production to ease cost-of-living pressures, on a visit that was overshadowed by the announcement of three further executions in the desert kingdom.
Key points Crackdown to stop Russian oligarchs using UK courts to ‘muzzle’ critics Prime minister fails to secure a promise of more Saudi oil Government unveils plan to tackle race inequality based on discredited report
Show latest update 1647496818 UK is only major economy to put up taxes during cost-of-living crisis
Rishi Sunak is under renewed pressure to halt next month’s ￡13bn rise in National Insurance contributions, after fresh research showed the UK is the only major world economy to be raising taxes on working people during the cost-of-living crisis.
Labour called on the chancellor to ditch the 1.25 per cent hike lined up for both employees and employers on 6 April, using money he has reportedly stored away for pre-election sweeteners to voters.
The research emerged as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) revealed that soaring inflation means the chancellor will take in an additional ￡12.5bn from a “stealth tax” in last year’s Budget.
Read more in this report by our political editor Andrew Woodcock.
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 06:00
1647496176 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe arrives home after six years of wrongful detention in Iran
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and another British-Iranian national imprisoned in Iran arrived home last night after ministers settled a historic ￡400m debt owed to the regime in Tehran.
Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow detainee Anousheh Ashoori were flown to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The mother was reunited with seven-year-old daughter Gabriella and husband Richard, who has conducted a long and very public campaign for her freedom.
He told The Independent last night that he was looking forward to an emotional reunion after her six-year ordeal.
“We will have a couple of days here of just catching up with each other,” he said. “It will probably involve having a cup of tea together, hanging out, learning to be normal and playing games.”
Read the details in this report.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe arrives home from Iran British-Iranian mother and fellow detainee Anousheh Ashoori land back in UK
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 05:49
1647494529 Government unveils plan to tackle race inequality
The government has set out an action plan to tackle inequality based on recommendations from a commission that concluded there was no systemic racism in Britain.
The Inclusion Britain strategy, published on Wednesday evening, was developed in response to a controversial report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) last year.
Lack of opportunity should not be seen “solely through the prism of ethnic minority disadvantage”, said equalities minister Kemi Badenoch in an introduction to the 97-page plan which aims to “counter the pessimism that often prevails in debates about race in the UK”.
Our race correspondent, Nadine White reports.
Government unveils plan to tackle race inequality based on discredited Sewell report Labour Party says plan ‘cannot be relied upon’ to address racial disparities.
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 05:22
1647493856 Prime minister fails to secure a promise of more Saudi oil
Boris Johnson has failed to secure commitments from Saudi Arabia to step up oil production to ease cost-of-living pressures on a visit that was overshadowed by the announcement of three further executions in the desert kingdom.
The prime minister said he had obtained an “understanding” from the Saudis that instability in world markets from a spike in energy prices caused by the Ukraine war was not in their interests.
But asked whether he had secured assurances that the oil-rich Gulf state would turn on the taps, he could only say that it was a decision for them.
“I think there’s certainly an understanding that there’s an interest for Saudi Arabia – for all oil-producing and exporting countries – in making sure that the global economy is not damaged by the current spikes, that we don’t get the kind of inflation that we saw in the 1970s, we don’t see the stagflation,” he said.
“So it was a very productive conversation.”
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has the details.
PM fails to secure promise of more Saudi oil in visit overshadowed by executions ‘Understanding’ in desert kingdom that economic instability not in their interests, says PM
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 05:10
1647493801 What are the range of proposals to limit Slapps misuse?
The government will explore a series of options to avoid the misuse of Slapps. These are:
* Strengthening “public interest defence” in the 2013 Defamation Act – to protect publishers of private information from being sued if it is for public good
* Capping costs claimants can recover – to stop the super rich, including Russian oligarchs, from ‘weaponising’ high litigation cost to stifle free speech
* Introducing a specific requirement for claimants to prove ‘actual malice’ by a defendant in libel cases – to deter spurious claims
* Enabling courts to throw out claims earlier in proceedings and impose Civil Restraint Orders – to prevent people from bringing repeated legal challenges
Crackdown to stop Russian oligarchs using UK courts to ‘muzzle’ critics Proposals to tackle ‘Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation’ follow criticism of years of delay
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 05:10
1647493736 Britain’s journalist and editors’ unions welcome Slapps legal reform
The announcement by the government to stop wealthy individuals or large businesses using ‘Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation’ (Slapps) - a threat of lengthy and expensive legal action using libel or privacy laws to intimidate critics - was welcomed by Britain’s National Union of Journalists and the Society of Editors.
Deployed by powerful individuals and companies in an effort to silence and intimidate critics and deter legitimate public interest journalism, Slapps not only have a chilling effect on the public’s right to know but they pose a grave threat to media freedom
Dawn Alford, executive director, Society of Editors
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 05:08
1647492185 PM promises to clampdown the 'lawfare' by oligarchs and elites
Prime minister Boris Johnson has backed plans to stop Britain’s elites from abusing the country’s courts as he promised to tackle the “chilling effect” of a “new kind of lawfare” that is being used by wealthy individuals to intimidate journalists through lengthy and expensive legal action.
The ability of a free press to hold the powerful to account is fundamental to our democracy and as a former journalist I am determined we must never allow criticism to be silenced
Prime minister Boris Johnson
“For the oligarchs and super rich who can afford these sky-high costs the threat of legal action has become a new kind of lawfare. We must put a stop to its chilling effect.”
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 04:43
1647491770 Crackdown to stop Russian oligarchs using UK courts to ‘muzzle’ critics
A crackdown to stop Russian oligarchs using the UK legal system to “muzzle” critics is being promised by the government, after criticism of years of delay.
Dominic Raab is setting out proposals to tackle so-called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) – high-cost legal claims to threaten and silence journalists and activists.
The move follows criticism that Vladimir Putin’s “rich cronies” are using UK courts to prevent exposure of their activities by targeting opponents with crippling costs.
Read the details in this report by our deputy political editor Rob Merrick.
Crackdown to stop Russian oligarchs using UK courts to ‘muzzle’ critics Proposals to tackle ‘Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation’ follow criticism of years of delay
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 04:36
1647490610
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of UK politics for Thursday, 17 March 2022.
Namita Singh 17 March 2022 04:16