SLAPP reform deterred by legal sector lobbying

In the Chartered Institute of Journalists' (CIOJ) 2025 Spring Issue of The Journal, I reported on a meeting held in late 2024 by the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, in Westminster.

In the wake of the ill-fated May 2024 anti-SLAPPs Bill – which fell apart two weeks after passing the committee stage because of the General Election and the dissolution of Parliament – the meeting sought to rejuvenate legislative momentum combatting the Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) mechanism. A civil lawsuit brought as an intimidation measure against non-government individuals, organisations and – all too often – journalists, SLAPPs continue to negatively impact the UK’s ranking (18/180 as of 2026) in the World Press Freedom Index.

One year has passed since the CIoJ’s 2025 report and the government’s delayed response to SLAPPs is beginning to attract media scrutiny. According to a new report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), London’s top libel lawyers have been lobbying the government in private against reform.

It is in this context that Baroness Stowell, a guest speaker at CIoJ’s 2024 AGM, has secured a place in the Private Members’ Bill ballot for a revitalised Anti-SLAPP Bill. Now is the government’s moment to support laws that protect public interest journalism and prevent the misuse of courts to quash accountability.

Provoked at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) while standing in for Kier Starmer, David Lammy re-committed to bringing forward meaningful and undiluted anti-SLAPP legislation:

“We cannot allow the rich and powerful to use their resources to stop proper investigation,” he said. “I will be bringing forward legislation as soon as time allows.”

In the interim, many more journalists speaking up in the public interest will suffer at the hands of SLAPPs. As the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition put it one year ago in Westminster: expression is only free when it is free for everyone.