The House of Commons Justice Committee has been told London has become the world leader in law firms perpetrating strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs.
Michelle Stanistreet, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, described SLAPPs as “bullyboy tactics” used to intimidate journalists or “tie them up in knots” in order to prevent them publishing damning material.
She said: “A SLAPP is not just defamation. It could be privacy, copyright, or data privacy. The costs are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the physical, emotional and mental toll [on journalists].”
In March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out about the “chilling effect” of SLAPPs, which he said were often used to silence journalists, with Justice Secretary Dominic Raab saying, “We will not tolerate Russian oligarchs and other corrupt elites abusing British courts to muzzle those who shine a light on their wrongdoing.”
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