BRITAIN’S LIBEL laws are being used by major medical companies and others to block justifiable criticism, leading writer and biologist Richard Dawkins has warned, following a string of legal actions against scientific writers and researchers.
Mr Dawkins urged Liberal Democrat delegates meeting in Bournemouth yesterday to support calls for changes to British libel laws that would put all of the responsibility on a publisher to prove allegations made.
The existing rules are having a “chilling effect” on public debate about science and medicine – and not just in the UK, but worldwide, because complainants are increasingly suing in London against publications anywhere in the world.
“England’s libel law is being ridiculed as an international charter for the litigious. I urge politicians to support the call for reform so we can get cross-party support on this vital issue,” said the author, best known for his atheism.
Liberal Democrat MP Mr Evan Harris said: “It is shameful that London is regarded as the ‘libel capital of the world’, where claimants from around the globe can use our antiquated libel laws to silence criticism.”
Delegates backed a motion to reform English and Welsh libel laws to ensure “a better balance is provided between free speech, responsible journalism, scientific discourse and the public interest on the one hand and powerful corporations, wealthy individuals and vested interests on the other”.