British journalism has been battered by an unrelenting power grab on the part of the country’s political classes. The move to foist an “all-party agreed” infrastructure of regulation by Royal Charter underpinned by punitive statutory sanction is part of a pattern of attack.

The government approved and sponsored Royal Charter is being applied to the British media without its consent and even worse without proper consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. It has not even been debated in the House of Lords.

The process is so iniquitous and dysfunctional it has already attracted challenge by judicial review, injunction and notice of future challenge at the European Court of Human Rights.