Why are Britain’s politicians so weak on freedom of speech?

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of freedom of speech in Britain, focusing on SLAPPs and media law with expert Gavin Millar KC.

Who do media organisations go to when they get sued?  In today’s Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel talk to Gavin Millar KC, an expert in media law.  The three talk about SLAPPs, strategic lawsuits increasingly used by the powerful to silence journalists and stop crucial reporting.  They discuss why the fight against SLAPPs is vital for democracy: after suggestions that a Labour government would reform the law, why has progress been so slow?  They also compare existing UK libel laws with those in the US and Canada and reflect on a few of the most high-profile cases of their careers. Plus, Gavin weighs in on the case between Donald Trump and the BBC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Alan, Lionel

Guest: Gavin Millar KC

Topics covered

• freedom of speech
• media law
• SLAPPs
• libel laws
• democracy
• journalism

Keywords

• freedom of speech
• SLAPPs
• media law
• libel
• journalism
• democracy
• Gavin Millar
• Donald Trump
• Labour government

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC, Labour, US, Canada

More episodes of Media Confidential

• Henry Nowak and how the media fuels racism · June 11, 2026 · 35 min
• Joshi Herrmann ‘If we're going to devolve more power to places like Greater Manchester we’re going to need to bulk up the quality of the local media.’ · June 8, 2026 · 38 min
• Ofcom’s Michael Grade doesn't understand impartiality · June 4, 2026 · 36 min
• Peter Geoghegan on getting SLAPP’d: ‘It had a huge chilling effect’ · May 28, 2026 · 41 min
• Hiring on the cheap: Are news organisations exploiting young journalists? · May 21, 2026 · 28 min
• Investigative journalist Gabriel Pogrund: ‘Go after big targets because they deserve to be pursued, not because you want to take them down’ · May 18, 2026 · 40 min