Cabinet Minister David Jones forced to fly back from Japap for press vote.

Cabinet minister David Jones forced to fly back from Japan for press
vote


A Cabinet minister has been forced to fly back to the UK from a major trade
mission to the Far East so he can take part in Monday’s Commons vote on press
standards.






































By Peter Dominiczak, Political
Correspondent

1:32PM GMT 15 Mar 2013





David Jones, the Welsh Secretary, was recalled from Japan amid growing
concerns that the Conservatives will lose a crunch vote in Parliament.



MPs will vote on Monday on plans to enable the courts to impose "exemplary
damages" on newspapers if they do not sign up to a new independent regulator set
up by royal charter.


Conservative ministers have warned that an unprecedented alliance between the
Liberal Democrats and Labour to enshrine regulation of newspapers in legislation
would open the door to "state licensing of the press".


David Cameron is urging MPs to support his plan for a Royal Charter to
oversee a new regulator.


Labour and the Lib Dems are expected to propose a more draconian scheme.




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Mr Jones’ return from the Far East is a sign of just how concerned senior
Tories are that they will lose the vote.

He arrived in Japan on Wednesday at the start of a trade mission to the Far
East.

He was originally due to arrive back in the UK after the last leg of his
visit in Hong Kong on 24 March.

Mr Jones said: “A free press is absolutely crucial to our society and I
wholeheartedly support the prime minister on the measures he is taking to ensure
we have a system of press regulation that will actually work.

"So I will be completing all of my meetings with Hitachi in Tokyo, before
returning back to the UK in time for this important vote."

A Wales Office spokeswoman said discussions were taking place on whether he
would resume the mission at a later date.

Mr Cameron today said that the bitter parliamentary wrangling over regulation
of the press must be brought to an end.

The Prime Minister, who pulled out of cross-party talks with Labour and the
Liberal Democrats yesterday, said he was not prepared to go on seeing the
Government's legislative programme "hijacked" by the issue.

Speaking in Brussels at the end of the EU summit, he welcomed apparent moves
by the other parties to back away from "full-on legislation" on the
implementation of the Leveson Report recommendations.

"We can't go on with a situation where bill after bill of the Government's
legislative programme is potentially hijacked or contaminated with motions and
amendments that are about something that is completely different. That's why I
think it is right to bring this to a conclusion," Mr Cameron said.

"It seems to me that the other parties are moving away from a sort of full-on
legislation on Leveson and accepting that a royal charter is the right way
forward.

"That's good if we can get on with what I've got on the table and pass the
legislative clauses that I have put down. That would be, I think, real progress.
But it is right to bring this to a head."

David Cameron's official spokesman said the Prime Minister's proposed text
for a Royal Charter will be published later today.

If Parliament approves the Conservative amendments on Monday, it is
understood Mr Cameron will take it as an endorsement of his approach and press
ahead with the enactment of the Charter.

However, the spokesman said a Charter will require the agreement of the Privy
Council, whose current president is Mr Clegg, which some observers believe could
give the Lib Dem leader an effective veto on the proposals.

Asked how Mr Cameron hoped to secure Mr Clegg's agreement at that stage,
having walked away from efforts to forge cross-party consensus yesterday, the
PM's spokesman said: "The right thing to do is to go to the House to have a vote
on the legislation that the Prime Minister's approach requires and to see if
that carries the day.

"Parliament is sovereign. If Parliament supports the Prime Minister's
approach, it will be for others - if they choose to do so - to explain why they
are not enabling a workable solution to go forward."

The spokesman dismissed suggestions that the differences on Leveson posed a
threat to the Coalition, saying it was "not the first time that coalition
parties have taken a different approach on important but specific issues", but
insisting that they remain united on the core policy priorities of repairing the
economy, reforming public services and bolstering competitiveness.

I really don't understand why Cameron is so against curbing the Press when so many people have been hacked. I am beginning to think it is more to do with Murdoch than "Press Freedom". Cameron was very pally with Murdoch and of course Rebekah but managed to avoid submitting all the e-mails to the Leveson enquiry. Murdoch is mercilous and still has a few Newspapers in the U.K. to keep Cameron nervous.
Gerry was looking very dapper in suit and tie , gave a short interview about Cameron's decision , but no Reporter has actually questioned his involvement with Hackgate when he hasn't been hacked.!!!