Prime Minister and his deputy at loggerheads over Leveson
A chasm has opened up at the very top of the Coalition government after deputy prime minister Nick Clegg failed to agree a common line with the prime minister, David Cameron.
The impasse means that Clegg will deliver a separate statement to the House of Commons this afternoon immediately after Cameron but denies that this represents a ‘massive split’.
Lord Justice Leveson’s report is due in a matter of hours and is expected to lead to a fiery debate in the House of Commons between the proponents and opponents of state regulation of the press.
Reports suggest that though agreement has been reached on some areas of the report, there remain areas where unanimity is not possible, necessitating the delivery of two separate statements.
Cameron has stated he is intent on achieving cross-party ‘consensus’ on the best way of pushing ahead with reform of the media regulatory system.