Leading a short debate in the Lords on 6th March on the "continuing abuse" of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), Guy highlighted how they are used by the "powerful and corrupt to silence journalists and bloggers and to shut down legitimate scrutiny."
When in opposition, the Labour Party had given unequivocal backing to legislation to stop them but had now backtracked - saying that civil procedure rule changes will be enough to deal with the problem.
Challenging the Minister (Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede) Guy pointed out "free speech campaigners such as Article 19 and Transparency International, backed by studies from the universities of Birmingham and Leeds, have said that these rules will be wholly ineffective in stopping pernicious lawsuits and that what is needed is full-throated legislation." He called on the Government to think again and set out a timeline for a "robust anti-SLAPP Bill." The full text of the debate, including the Minister's reply, is here.
ENDS
