Newspaper and magazine publishers are applying to the High Court for judicial review of the Privy Council’s decision to reject their proposals for a new royal charter to govern the regulation of the press.
The legal challenge will raise doubts over whether ministers can go ahead with plans to ask the Queen at a Privy Council meeting next week to approve a rival royal charter, which is backed by all three major political parties but bitterly opposed by much of the industry.
The Queen has already been urged by a group of international press freedom bodies not to sign the charter, and industry sources said the Privy Council should now reconsider its plans to press ahead with approval at the Wednesday meeting.
Meanwhile, final plans were published for the establishment of a new Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) to replace the Press Complaints Commission as the industry’s watchdog.
The industry group which has drawn up the plans said Ipso could begin work early in the New Year and provide the tough, independent and effective regulator which Sir Brian Leveson called for in last year’s report on media ethics and practices.
The application for judicial review asks the High Court to quash the October 8 decision by a committee of the Privy Council, made up of Government ministers, not to grant the industry charter.
The Press Standards Board of Finance argues that the application was not dealt with fairly.