Public Inquiries and UK Press Regulation: A case of 'fading into forgetfulness'?

Why were the proposals for reform of UK press regulation made by Lord Leveson in 2012 not implemented in full, despite popular and parliamentary support for the report's recommendations, and despite the creation of the legal framework for the reformed system of regulation? Press regulation, and the Leveson legacy, were notable absentees from the 2024 general election manifestos of the major parties. Instead, the UK press has been allowed to opt for in-house self-regulation or for a modified form of the discredited Press Complaints Commission. This article asks whether this state of affairs is another example of public inquiries being used to kick a difficult problem into the long grass, where it can ‘fade into forgetfulness’, or whether it is a result of the power exercised by the press over policy and politics. Drawing upon the history of public inquiries into the press in the UK since 1945, we argue that, while there maybe weaknesses in the inquiry system that account for the slow pace of change, the power of media to resist change is as important a factor in the long history of press regulation.