The House of Commons is to vote today (18 March) on amendments to the Crime and Courts Bill that would implement the Leveson proposals on press regulation in conjunction with a royal charter.

The vote follows the prime minister’s announcement last week that the Conservatives were pulling out of cross-party talks on a new system of regulation for the press and would again publish royal charter proposals, previously defeated in the Commons.

In the absence of cross-party consensus, these proposals are unlikely to be voted into law.

Campaign group Justice Across Borders said that the Leveson amendments put the whole bill at risk.

‘The bill currently carries amendments to introduce domestic safeguards for the European Arrest Warrant that would mean a significant improvement in the protection of the rights of British citizens,’ it said.