THE Rupert Murdoch-backed Labour Party is unlikely to pursue the second part of the Leveson Inquiry, reports suggested today.

Launched in 2011, the first part of the inquiry investigated the culture, practices and ethics of the press after the phone-hacking scandal involving Mr Murdoch’s News of the World.

The second part was due to examine the relationship between journalists and the police but was dropped by the Tory government in 2018. 

Labour had previously pledged to press ahead with the inquiry under Jeremy Corbyn. 

In an interview with The House, seen by the i newspaper, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was asked about the status of Leveson 2 and stated that it was “not something that we committed to in the manifesto.”

The Sun and the Sunday Times backed Labour in the election. 

Mr Corbyn’s Peace & Justice Project wrote on X: “Labour’s decision to block the next stages of the Leveson Inquiry are a deeply disappointing and shameful indictment of how media barons can influence the government.

“We need a truly independent, fully accountable and democratic media.”