The Independent has joined more than 120 high-profile names from across the UK in backing calls for Sir Keir Starmer to include protections from silencing lawsuits in the next King’s Speech.
A total of 127 editors, lawyers, academics, journalists, publishers and civil society representatives have signed a letter demanding the government include anti-SLAPP provisions in the speech expected in May, “sending a powerful message that British courts should not be abused to silence protected speech”.
A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is described as “an abusive lawsuit filed by a private party with the purpose of silencing critical speech” by the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition. Research shows that SLAPPs are on the rise and that the UK is the number one originator of these kinds of legal actions.
The letter calling on the government to give parliamentary time to stamp out SLAPPs has been released to mark the fifth anniversary of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition on Wednesday.
It reads: “Without concerted action, everyone who speaks out – whether to protest the actions of a powerful company, ask questions of someone of influence or speak out on issues important to themselves or their community, will remain vulnerable to costly, stressful and unpredictable legal action.”
It continues: “It is our belief, informed by testimony from those who have been targeted for realising their rights protected by UK law, that democracy cannot be sustained without everyone being able to express themselves, challenge wrongdoing, or inform others.”
The Independent and its editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig, have thrown their support behind the campaign, alongside editors and leaders of other outlets including The Guardian, The Times and Reuters, legal experts, academics from institutions including the University of Oxford, journalists and writers such as Catherine Belton and Alan Rusbridger, and representatives of civil society, including PEN International and Greenpeace UK.
While the prime minister and other members of his cabinet have spoken out about SLAPPs and the need to tackle them, the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition said no new legislation has been brought forward under the current government.
As the letter outlines, the inclusion of anti-SLAPP measures in the 2023 Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) was welcomed as an official recognition of the issue, but the provisions have drawn criticisms over being both “limited in scope and flawed in approach”.
The letter signatories are calling for parliamentary time to be given to advance universally applicable and robust anti-SLAPP measures “to ensure our courts can no longer be abused by those seeking to avoid the sort of scrutiny that sustains democracy”.
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition co-chairs said: “A commitment to stamp out SLAPPs is a commitment to ensuring British justice remains a level playing field. Only then can SLAPP targets – be they journalists, campaigners, local organisers, sexual violence survivors, victims’ advocates or anyone speaking out in the public interest – mount a defence without being threatened into silence by the costs, trauma and disruption an abusive legal threat can cause.
“With the significant number of signatories, demonstrating the consensus across many sectors of society, echoing that already seen across political parties, we hope this letter serves to underscore to the government the urgency of this issue, and the need to prioritise introducing measures that protect the right to speak up to challenge wrongdoing, scrutinise power and express ourselves freely.”
The Independent has approached the government for comment.
