Newspaper Society director David Newell has reaffirmed the group’s commitment for self-regulation ahead of the publication of the Leveson report tomorrow – arguing there is no evidence to support a statutory regime for the local press.

In a message to the Government Newell wrote that the UK’s 1,100 local and regional paper “urge the Government to consult the wider public on Leveson’s recommendations” when they are published tomorrow.

“The public’s views in the nations, regions and localities of the UK, which have so far not been the focus of the Leveson inquiry or of politicians, should be at the centre of the debate on press freedom and press regulation,” said Newell.