MPs finally wake up to National Security Bill

NO LONGER is it just journalists and civil rights groups raising the alarm over prospective Government legislation that threatens to bulldozer hundreds of years of hard-won press freedom. Parliamentarians from opposing parties in both Houses have suddenly realised that freedom of speech matters and that whistleblowers should be protected rather than prosecuted.

The Financial Times reported that even the former justice secretary, Robert Buckland MP, has been telling everyone how important it is to "protect responsible journalism". He joins other prominent MPs including Labour's Margaret Hodge and the SNP's justice spokesperson Stuart McDonald in regretting the passage of this Bill through parliament without significant debate.

In its original form, the National Security Bill sought to withdraw legal protections for journalists, investigators and even those reporting rule-breaking when vague matters of "national security" might be concerned. London Freelance Branch has been keeping the matter high on the discussion agenda since last summer when Branch member Duncan Campbell - known for his exposé of the UK's Zircon spy satellite programme - alerted LFB colleagues to the impending legislation. The NUJ also launched a campaign to challenge the threatened changes to the law, but it has all felt one-sided with the Bill moving from stage to stage with only weak objection from MPs.

The recent sudden interest in challenging the Bill appeared to coincide with the end of its Committee stage in the House of Lords on 18 January. The Lords proposed a number of amendments which, although not concerned with journalism directly, at least indicated a desire to protect whisteblowers. As the Freelance went to press, the Bill was about to enter the Report stage in the upper House, which would be followed by a Third Reading.

MPs who have been critical of the Bill claim to be helping the Lords to draw up safeguarding amendments. They would then try to put pressure on the Government to adopt these changes when the Bill is returned to the Commons for its final approval.

Better late than never, perhaps, but a more robust response from MPs before leaving it to the Lords to sort out would have been better still.

© Alistair Dabbs

Defeat the National Security Bill! Jul 2022