The Society of Editors has launched a campaign to stop the Section 40 cost penalty law from coming into force.

The law, part of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, would mean newspapers not signed up to a Royal-Charter-backed press regulator would pay court costs for both sides in privacy and libel cases, win or lose.

On 1 November, the government launched a consultation on “the Leveson Inquiry and its Implementation” which will look into Section 40. It will close on 10 January.