Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on trans people of press reports that use a trans person's former name.

The Government strongly supports editorial independence and does not interfere with what the press publishes. However, with freedom comes responsibility and the press is required to abide by the law of the land.

There is an independent self-regulatory regime to ensure that the press adheres to a wider set of clear and appropriate standards, and to offer individuals a means of redress where these are not met.

The majority of traditional publishers—including 95% of national newspapers by circulation—are members of IPSO. A small number of publishers have joined Impress, while others, including the Financial Times and the Guardian, have chosen to stay outside either self-regulator with their own detailed self-regulatory arrangements.

The regulators enforce codes of conduct that provide guidelines on a range of areas. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. IPSO can also order critical adjudications and Impress can levy fines. IPSO has produced guidance on researching and reporting stories involving transgender individuals. The guidance Impress has published on its standards code also includes information on this subject.