In alighting on a solution that neither offends too many people or is embraced by too many, the Government has decided to pursue a Royal Charter-backed press regulatory body following the Leveson Inquiry. Though the new body will lack statutory underpinning, it will bind its members to a strict code of conduct and ethics.

The UK’s two major public relations organisations, the PRCA and the CIPR have both expressed their opinions on the proposed solution. (Read more about the CIPR’s relationship to Royal Charters) The PRCA has announced that it is welcoming the Royal Charter proposal with a themed Leveson conference next month.

PRCA director general Francis Ingham says, “We welcome the Conservatives’ proposal for a Royal Charter, which stands clear of the rather worrying statutory underpinning, but still provides the necessary ‘recognition panel’ to give the entire plan credibility. We now look forward to the Government moving Leveson’s suggestions forward with decisive speed.”

On 14 March, the PRCA, alongside Telegraph Media Group executive director Lord Black and other guests, will examine the implications of the Leveson Report on the communications industry. Black’s keynote address will reflect on his work on the Leveson report and the proposals to implement a regulatory body to replace the Press Complaints Commission.

The conference will be held at the Ellwood Atfield Gallery in Smith Square.

The Royal Charter solution draws a comparison to the CIPR’s own chartered status and likens the new regulatory body to those that already exist in the communications industry.