The Government recently and suddenly announced a 10-week consultation on the implementation of two key Leveson reforms: the introduction of a new measure that would guarantee access to justice for victims of illegal libel and press intrusion ("section 40”) and Part Two of the Leveson Inquiry, designed to look at who knew what about phone hacking and when, and explore the scale of police and press corruption more broadly.

We believe this was a cynical attempt to avoid a possible defeat in Parliament as MPs and Peers were both pushed to a vote on whether to introduce section 40 for new phone-hacking victims after Peers had voted already for inclusion of the measure into the Investigatory Powers Bill.

Just a few years ago, many victims of press abuse who had been thrust into the media spotlight after tragic circumstances, gave evidence over 18 months to Lord Leveson reliving the traumas they suffered. The Government's announcement of a further consultation from the Secretary of State is a disgraceful attempt to force them to go through that all over again.

This “consultation” is no more than an attempt by the Government to re-run the Leveson Inquiry, but with a conflicted Government Minister replacing an independent Judge. That is the last way decisions over press regulation should be taken.

Whilst we don't believe the consultation itself has any legitimacy, we are calling on you the public to help us give a victims of press abuse a voice by responding.

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