Cross-party group cites legal threats used to hide Post Office Horizon scandal and allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed
Excessive legal threats used to silence those who tried to expose the Post Office Horizon scandal and allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed should be outlawed, a cross-party group of MPs have said.
MPs raised a series of cases, documented by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, where media outlets and whistleblowers have been prevented from publishing material that they believed was in the public interest.
Under the last government, the House of Commons came close to bringing in legislation banning strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as Slapps.
But Heidi Alexander, a justice minister, said on Thursday the government “do not currently intend to legislate this parliamentary session” against abusive legal threats. She said Slapps “represent an abuse of our legal system” that have a “profound psychological impact” but argued they are a “complex area and we should not legislate in haste”.
Despite the government’s refusal to commit to legislation, MPs supported the Labour MP Lloyd Hatton’s non-binding Commons motion, which called on ministers to introduce “comprehensive anti-Slapp legislation that provides swift dismissal of such cases, protects those targeted from prohibitive legal costs, and ensures that Slapp filers face significant financial deterrents”.
Others, including the former Conservative culture secretary John Whittingdale,...
DALLAS, July 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. has issued a statement in response to a lawsuit filed by a former Houston franchisee, asserting that the allegations are fa...