The Prime Minister announced a two-part inquiry investigating the role of the press and police in the phone-hacking scandal, on 13 July 2011.

Lord Justice Leveson was appointed as Chairman of the Inquiry.  The first part will examine the culture, practices and ethics of the media. In particular, Lord Justice Leveson will examine the relationship of the press with the public, police and politicians.  He is assisted by a panel of six independent assessors with expertise in key issues being considered by the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has been established under the Inquiries Act 2005 and has the power to summon witnesses.  It is expected that a range of witnesses, including newspaper reporters, management, proprietors, police officers and politicians of all parties will give evidence under oath and in public.

It will make recommendations on the future of press regulation and governance consistent with maintaining freedom of the press and ensuring the highest ethical and professional standards.

Lord Justice Leveson opened the hearings on 14 November 2011, saying: “The press provides an essential check on all aspects of public life. That is why any failure within the media affects all of us. At the heart of this Inquiry, therefore, may be one simple question: who guards the guardians?”

The ultimate aim is to create an independent regulator with the power to fine up to £1 million, whilst operating a low-cost tribunal system that that will handle the ‘libel and privacy claims’. The 7 recommendations that editors failed to sign up consisted of the Ofcom or any other regulator ‘agreeing to wait to see what non-statutory proposals Downing Street would have to offer’. The chairman (Lord Hunt) of the Press complaints commission will be continuing to to work at setting up this new regulator.

The Editors at the meeting also agreed to wait for Oliver Letwin and David Cameron’s policy fixer to come back with a proposal. On how to toughen up and support the planned new regulator. Whilst, it is still unclear whether newspapers ‘deemed the Letwin plan to be uneffective.