“Over 120 editors, lawyers, academics, journalists, publishers and civil society representatives call on the Government to give parliamentary time to stamp out SLAPPs”, 28 January 2026

...127 representatives from a wide cross section of society co-signed an open letter sent to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joining the Coalition’s call for anti-SLAPP provisions to be included in the next King’s Speech...

...[N]o new legislation has been brought forward under the current Government...

This will ensure those targeted for speaking out in the public interest are able to access justice without being forced out of court by abusive lawsuits...

...SLAPPs have been documented against journalists, tax transparency experts, online reviewers, patients, environmental campaigners, local residents, sexual violence survivors, whistleblowers, academics, tenants, victims groups and advocates, and social media users...

The financial inequality so frequently at the heart of SLAPPs can force targets to choose between realising their fundamental rights and economic security.

...By bringing forward universal anti-SLAPP measures in the next King’s Speech, Parliament will finally be given the opportunity to establish robust, accessible and universal protections against abusive legal threats and actions.

...[D]emocracy cannot be sustained without everyone being able to express themselves, challenge wrongdoing, or inform others...