UK lawmakers block quick reform to libel laws, say more consultation is needed on changes

UK lawmakers delay reform of tough libel laws

LONDON — Freedom of speech campaigners accused British lawmakers Tuesday of blocking attempts to reform the country’s notoriously tough libel laws.

A committee of House of Commons legislators voted to delay proposed changes to current laws, which would sharply cut fees charged to both defendants and complainants by lawyers representing them in libel cases.

Media organizations in Britain have long complained that excessive fees mean they often can’t afford to defend themselves in defamation cases, stifling free expression and curtailing investigative journalism. Some say they’re simply unwilling to run potentially contentious stories because of the risk they could be sued.

Britain has earned a reputation as a favored destination for celebrities and big businesses — including McDonald’s — to sue for libel, prompting a surge in so-called libel tourism. In 2006, actress Kate Hudson won a case against the National Enquirer, taking on the magazine’s U.K. edition in a London court rather than pursuing the case in the U.S.

Saudi businessman Khalid Bin Mahfouz successfully sued American author Rachel Ehrenfeld over a U.S.-published book about terrorism financing despite that fact it had sold just 23 copies in the U.K.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw acknowledged last week that Britain’s libel laws needed a better balance between to protect press freedoms.

But opponents — including some lawmakers on a committee scrutinizing the planned legislation — said more consultation, and a full Parliamentary vote, is needed before any changes can be passed.

“The feeling was that the impact would be that lawyers wouldn’t touch difficult cases any more,” said Labour Party legislator Chris Mullin, who voted against immediately passing the laws in a vote of a legislative committee.

Libel reform campaigner Jonathan Heawood, of human rights charity English PEN, said the decision was surprising. “It’s hard to understand why anyone would stand in the way of these reforms on costs,” he said.

Britain’s justice ministry said it hopes the planned laws can be debated again before Britain’s Parliament is dissolved ahead of an election likely to take place in May.