Thank you for contacting me following the recent publication of a column by Jeremy Clarkson.

Firstly, I want to make it clear that I share your shock at the language used in this piece and feel that it was completely inappropriate and offensive to many.

I can assure you that I agree that this column should never have been allowed to be published and I would support an official retraction. I have recently signed the joint letter written by Caroline Nokes MP, which calls for action to be taken against Mr Clarkson and an apology to be issued to Ms Markle. Please see a copy of this letter here: https://twitter.com/carolinenokes/status/1605117832047386629/photo/1

Unfortunately, I do not believe that Jeremy Clarkson is in any way unique and in fact is symptomatic of a worryingly large problem. In my view it has been evident that since Meghan Markle became a member of the Royal Family, she has unfairly been the focus of the worst parts of our print media.

It is clear that this article is not an outlier but instead the product of our current media system which rewards these kinds of shock and offensive articles. I will therefore continue to review this matter with great seriousness and take your views into account.
While a free and fair press is vital to protecting democracy and holding the powerful to account, it is also crucial that the public are protected from being the subject of abusive press content.

When pressed recently to outline what steps are being taken to ensure this protection is in place, the Government affirmed its commitment to a free and independent press and said it does not intervene in what the press can and cannot publish. However, it set out that with this freedom, comes responsibility, which media organisations must take seriously.

The Government believes there should be an independent self-regulatory regime to ensure the press adheres to a wide set of clear and appropriate standards, and to offer individuals a means of redress where these are not met. It takes the view that we now have a stronger system through the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and has argued that in 2016, IPSO commissioned its own external review which found it had made some important achievements in demonstrating it was an independent and effective regulator, and that it was largely compliant with the recommendations of the Leveson Report.

Nevertheless, Ministers have said they regularly engage with a range of stakeholders and will consider any proposals put forward on the regulation of newspapers and their websites.

Thank you once again for contacting me and for sharing your perspective. I hope all views on this matter will continue to be carefully considered.