Episode
Why are Britain’s politicians so weak on freedom of speech?
- Podcast
- Media Confidential
- Published
- Jun 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2663
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://shows.acast.com/media-confidential/episodes/why-are-britains-politicians-so-weak-on-freedom-of-speech
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/media-confidential-6620203/episodes/why-are-britain-s-politicians-so-weak-on-freedom-of-speech/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/media-confidential-6620203/why-are-britain-s-politicians-so-weak-on-freedom-of-speech.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
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.