Thread by @holt_charlie

So firstly, a minute to reflect on the sheer bloody marvellousness of this. Coming so soon after consultations on the #HumanRightsAct and Official Secrets Act it's easy to feel cynical + sceptical about the govt's intentions. But this is misplaced here
theguardian.com/law/2022/mar/1…

This follows years of campaigning and the powerful advocacy of SLAPP victims such as @CatherineBelton and @tomburgis. It follows MPs seeing first-hand how SLAPPs can target ANYONE who works to hold power to account - even, in the case of @CharlotteLeslie, their fellow MPs.

Of course, it also follows the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a growing appreciation of how SLAPPs block efforts to expose kleptocracy. It follows the #MeToo movement and the systematic efforts to silence victims through the courts. It follows Jimmy Saville, Harvey Weinstein...

Indeed, pretty much any scandal or high-profile abuse of power you can name. Cambridge Analytica? Multiple threats against the @guardian + @carolecadwalla (not to mention the later SLAPP from Arron Banks). Grenfell Tower? Incredibly, threats by the council independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…

In short, this is long, LONG overdue. Writers such as @NickCohen4 and publications such as @PrivateEyeNews have been talking about this for years. George Monbiot was warning about the use of SLAPPs against environmental activists almost 10 years ago. None of this is new.

So this is excellent news - but we have a long way to go. Anti-SLAPP measures have been announced elsewhere in Europe + failed to deliver (Malta being a particularly sobering example). It's crucial we keep up pressure + that everyone impacted contributes to the call for evidence

The proposals considered in the announcement are warmly welcome: measures to cap costs, impose civil restraint orders, dispose of SLAPPs at the earliest possible stage, and introduce a higher standard for public figures in defamation cases would all help protect public watchdogs

But we need to go further + address the elephant in the room: costs. Reforming legal aid would perhaps be the most effective way to defuse the power of SLAPPs. Schedule 1 of LASPO must therefore be amended to prevent SLAPP litigants from exploiting their relative power and wealth

There are many other components that any robust anti-SLAPP law should cover. You can find more in the UK Anti-SLAPP Working Group's Policy Paper (fpc.org.uk/wp-content/upl…) as well as the proposals for a UK anti-SLAPP law we published in November: fpc.org.uk/wp-content/upl….

We'll continue to push for the strongest possible protection for public watchdogs facing legal retaliation. If you've been impacted by SLAPPs, PLEASE do contribute to the call for evidence. Your voice really matters - + with any luck, it will only get louder in the months to come