Statement
On 1 February 2021, News UK submitted an application to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport requesting that the Secretary of State release in full the Undertakings that were accepted by the then Secretary of State (The Rt Hon Jeremy Wright QC MP) in 2019, to replace Conditions put in place by the then Secretary of State for Trade (the Rt Hon. John Biffin MP) in 1981.
News UK has submitted that the changes in the newspaper industry and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic mean that the Undertakings are no longer necessary.
They note that the Undertakings place them at a competitive disadvantage to other newspapers, and that the release is necessary to allow the continued provision of quality news by The Times and The Sunday Times.
Copies of the invitation to comment and the application documents will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The deadline for comments is 5pm on 15 July. This application will be considered in a quasi-judicial manner through a fair and transparent process.
If, after considering the responses, the Secretary of State is minded to release, or vary the Undertakings, there will be a further consultation on this decision as required by legislation.