Cameron to force vote on press reform

David Cameron dramatically pulled the plug on efforts to reach cross-party consensus on press regulation yesterday, announcing he will bring the matter to a head by forcing a vote in the House of Commons on Monday.

In a move which surprised both Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, the prime minister said he will publish a royal charter to underpin a new self-regulatory system for the press without the need for parliamentary legislation.

Mr Cameron was accused of a “shameless betrayal of victims of press abuse” by the Hacked Off campaign, which is pushing for full implementation of last year’s Leveson Report recommendations.

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