Politicians could control the press if statutory regulation is introduced, the editor of the Times has claimed.James Harding told the Leveson Inquiry he was uncomfortable with the idea of any statutory regulation having a “chilling effect” on press freedom, and allowing politicians to “loom over” the media.He added: "We don't want the prime minister deciding what can go in or out of newspapers”.Harding referred to the creation of a “Leveson Act” and said a statutory backdrop for independent regulation would either be “meaningless” or equivocal to state regulation.Lord Justice Leveson challenged him, and said a new system would need authority and “statutory underpinning”. Harding said he did recognise the need for a “muscular” independent regulator in order to “bind” newspaper publishers.Leveson said the Times leader article on the inquiry, published this morning, was helpful in understanding the editor’s point of view. The piece called the paper “an implacable opponent of government oversight — direct or indirect — of the press”.He added: “I am anxious to create a system that actually does what it says on the tin”.Harding asked the judge whether he would advocate a compulsory system resulting in “the licensing of newspapers”.Leveson told the editor to “watch my lips” and reminded the inquiry that he had not made his mind up on a future regulatory framework.Harding added that press freedom would be ensured by more substantial public interest defences.