IPA Joins Call for Stronger Protections Against SLAPPs in the UK

Addressed directly to the Prime Minister, the letter calls for robust anti-SLAPP provisions to be included in the upcoming King's Speech, expected in May 2026. It highlights the urgent need to prevent the misuse of the UK justice system to intimidate and silence the people involved in the public debate - journalists, activists, and others engaged in protected speech. It also stresses that without meaningful safeguards, British courts risk becoming tools for those seeking to suppress public participation through abusive litigation.

The IPA's support for the letter underscores its long-standing commitment to the protection of freedom of expression. An excerpt from the letter is set out below:

It is important that the justice system works for everyone. SLAPPs actively prevent a level playing field between those with deep pockets and those for whom affording to mount a defence can draw vital funds away from their families and businesses. The financial inequality so frequently at the heart of SLAPPs can force targets to choose between realising their fundamental rights and economic security. This must end. It is the Government's duty to protect us from this system being weaponised against free expression and everyone's ability to participate fully in society. However, without an effective early dismissal mechanism, an objective test for filtering SLAPPs out of court, and the ability to minimise costs and penalise bad conduct, courts and judges do not have the tools or guidance they need. At a time of unprecedented pressure on our judicial system, court resources should not be wasted on SLAPPs, which are by definition an abuse of the court process.

The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition co-chairs said:

A commitment to stamp out SLAPPs is a commitment to ensuring British justice remains a level playing field. Only then can SLAPP targets - be they journalists, campaigners, local organisers, sexual violence survivors, victims' advocates or anyone speaking out in the public interest - mount a defence without being threatened into silence by the costs, trauma and disruption an abusive legal threat can cause. With the significant number of signatories, demonstrating the consensus across many sectors of society, echoing that already seen across political parties, we hope this letter serves to underscore to the Government the urgency of this issue, and the need to prioritise introducing measures that protect the right to speak up to challenge wrongdoing, scrutinise power and express ourselves freely.

Read the full letter here.