Phone Hacking: Bad Journalists Should Be 'Struck Off', Says Ivan Lewis

Bad Journalists Should Be 'Struck Off' Says Labour's Ivan Lewis
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Newspapers should be forced to print front page apologies and journalists should be "struck off" if they break new guidelines, Labour’s shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis will argue on Tuesday.

Lewis wants journalists to face tougher regulation, and believes they should be treated in a similar way to doctors who can be thrown off a professional register for bad work.

He will propose the idea in a speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in which he targets the hacking scandal and Rupert Murdoch’s influence on the media, The Guardian reported.

The paper says Lewis will sent a warning to News International that Labour will never allow it to bully or use political influence for commercial gain.

In the wake of the hacking scandal it was Labour leader Ed Miliband who was seen to lead the way in his attack on Murdoch’s empire. Lewis's call for tighter restraints is seen as an extension of this line.

In a "Message for Murdoch" the Guardian reports Lewis will say: "Your newspapers and Sky TV are popular with millions of British people. Some people in our movement might find that uncomfortable but it's true.

"However – and yes conference we should have said this a long time ago – never again think you can assert political power or seek political influence in the pursuit of your commercial goals or ideological beliefs. We're not having it. This is Britain, Mr Murdoch. The integrity of our media and our politics is not for sale."

Lewis will also question Prime Minister David Cameron over the appointment of former News of the World editor, Andy Coulson.