Wayne David, Labour MP for Caerphilly, is pushing through Parliament a Bill to crackdown on the use of so-called SLAPPs (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation). These lawsuits are used to intimidate journalists, academics, campaigners and ordinary people who want to expose wrongdoing and corruption.

Wayne David’s Bill will uphold free speech and stop SLAPPs. It will give judges new powers to dismiss bogus SLAPPs cases before they go to trial, so that people are not intimidated, and to protect defendants from paying potentially massive costs.

The number of SLAPPs has increased dramatically in recent years. Examples include the case brought by four Russian oligarchs  against the journalist Catherine Belton and her publisher. The SLAPPs were brought after Catherine Belton wrote about the close links between the oligarchs and President Putin. There is also the case of Nina Cresswell, who named the man who violently sexually assaulted her. She wanted to alert other women who could become victims of sexual assault by this man. However, when she named him, the man sued her for defamation. Ms Cresswell won a landmark judgment last year.

Less high-profile, SLAPPs have also been brought against patients who left negative reviews of botched plastic surgery. There have also been SLAPPs by some landlords against their tenants who have spoken out about their uninhabitable housing, and environmentalists have also been attacked for pointing the finger at polluters.

The Bill passed its Second Reading in the House of Commons, unanimously, with support from all the main parties. After the vote, Wayne David said:

“Well-heeled, corrupt and malicious elites have been increasingly using SLAPPs to intimidate and threaten journalists, community campaigners, academics or anyone challenging them and speaking out in the public interest. I want people who stand up to the corrupt or expose wrongdoing to know that they have the law on their side.

“This important Bill seeks to protect freedom of expression for everyone. I am pleased that it has cross-party support and is now very close to becoming law.”