Government shelves second phase of Leveson Inquiry
The government has shelved plans to conduct a second phase of the Leveson Inquiry into alleged police corruption and the extent of media misconduct surrounding the phone hacking scandal, as enthusiasm for another extended courtroom clash ebbs.
First established in 2011 the Leveson Inquiry was tasked with investigating the ‘culture, practices and ethics of the press following revelations that journalists had hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
That led to the establishment of a new press regulator to replace the Press Complaints Commission.
According to The Times government ministers balked at the costs involved in running a second phase of the trial amidst a general consensus that the ground had already been covered.
The Leveson inquiry cost £5.4m to conduct with the Met spending a further £41m investigating the activity of journalists.