Lisa Nandy speaking at the Society of Editors Conference 2026. Picture: Lucy Young
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she is “really concerned” about the efficacy of press regulator IPSO .
Speaking at the Society of Editors Future of News Conference in London on Tuesday, Nandy raised concerns but said the Government “will tread carefully and cautiously about regulation of the press”.
She said “any right-minded government should” be cautious around press regulation “because it is a precious and important thing that fearless journalists can hold government to account”.
But she said regulation of the media is “perhaps the single greatest area in which I am urged by the public to act”.
Nandy said she is “really concerned that when we look at IPSO, that when complaints are made, only 1% of them are upheld, and nobody’s ever been fined…
“If only 1% of complaints are upheld and nobody has ever been fined, is that because everything that is produced by the press in this country is 100% true and accurate, or is that because the system needs to be more robust?
“And that is a challenge that I put back to you, because I think that a free and fearless press is more important in this country now than ever.”
Earlier, in her speech, Nandy also said: “I want to acknowledge the importance of good regulation, perhaps the single greatest area in which I am urged by the public to act, both in relation to existing forms of media as well as in the online space.
“Media regulation in the UK has evolved with care and caution over many years, and this is for good reason: to protect that rare and precious independence of the media landscape and its ability to speak truth to power, whilst empowering supporting viewers, readers and citizens to have and trust the media they need.
“It’s left us with a system where the press is almost entirely self regulated, broadcast media is independently regulated, and an online world which has resembled the Wild West, but where all governments across the world are now starting to act.
“Every government should tread with care when it comes to new regulation, but we as a Government are closely following the trends in media consumption. I understand that there is a market for clickbait, something that has informed the development of news for more than ten years.”
However she said there are “signs of a much bigger and growing market for trusted news and for the enablers of a vibrant debate and a larger, richer conversation”.
A spokesperson for IPSO said: “IPSO has a complex and testing role, and recognise that our decisions will give rise to strong and sometimes conflicting challenges and criticism.
“A quoted figure of 1% upheld complaints is not a meaningful reflection of how we handle complaints, because it takes no account of the large volumes of complaints we sometimes receive about a single issue. It also includes complaints that we receive that fall clearly outside of our remit, such as those about publications that we do not regulate.
“Last year, we took forward 308 complaints that were pursued to a conclusion (excluding repeat complaints). The Complaints Committee ruled on 115 of these, and upheld just under half (53 upheld, or 46%). The remaining complaints were resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.
“We work hard to engage publishers so that standards issues can be addressed before the point where an investigation is required or a fine could be issued. This approach has so far been successful and has prevented the need for more costly and burdensome interventions.”
Previous analysis has showed similarly low rates of upheld complaints among those received by Ofcom (0.03%) and the BBC (4.6% upheld in full and 0.2% in part) between January and August 2025.
‘It cannot be acceptable for politicians to present news’ without disclaimers
Nandy also spoke about her opposition to politicians presenting news programmes – an area of criticism made towards broadcast regulator Ofcom and the way it regulates GB News, although Nandy did not name a specific broadcaster. Last year a High Court judge quashed two Ofcom decisions relating to programmes presented by then-Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg due to an “error of law”.
Nandy said: “Navigating this media landscape has also been complicated by a dangerous blurring of fact and polemic, and at a minimum we believe it cannot be acceptable for politicians to present news, without it being made clear to viewers that they are not neutral and, as elected politicians, are required to have a point of view.
“I am exploring action in this space, because people have a right to know what they are seeing and whether it should be treated as opinion or fact.”
In October Ofcom decided not to change its rules setting out when politicians can act as presenters following concerns from broadcasters that its plan would result in a “de facto ban”. But it did make clearer the circumstances in which politicians can present news programmes, including the fact that their position impacts whether due impartiality has been met.
Funding to support local news digital transition
Nandy’s appearance at the Society of Editors event coincided with the launch of a new Local News Fund which will distribute up to £12m in the next two years to support evolving business models among local media.
Nandy explained that both new potential news providers and existing local media brands will be eligible to apply for funding.
She said “we want to fill the gap that’s been left in those parts of the country where people don’t have a local provider… but there are parts of the industry that are really struggling and we’ve got to deal with that.”
Nandy added that the funding is intended to go towards “the things that you’ve told us that you need. So if you need help with some end of the digital transition – recognising that some of the titles in this room, the local titles, have been actually outstripping national titles… if you need help with other things as well to extend the reach of an existing publication…”
BBC uncertainty to end and Youtube must highlight public service content
Nandy also spoke about the BBC and said the Government intended to end the current process through which the corporation’s Charter comes up for renewal every ten years . It is next due for renewal in December 2027.
Nandy said: “So while the terms, the structures and the funding for the BBC will continue to be negotiated every several years, we should seek to end the bizarre situation where if the Charter isn’t agreed in time, the BBC ceases to exist.
“We continue to look at the responses to the consultation on the Charter, but the truth is we would not accept this for the NHS and we should not accept it for the BBC. This is about protecting the BBC – and everything that it represents – for the long term for all of us.”
And Nandy said that video sharing platforms like Youtube need to do better to highlight “high quality content”.
The Media Act 2024 introduced a requirement for public service broadcasters to be shown prominently on smart TVs. But this has not yet been echoed on individual platforms like Youtube .
[Read more: Public service broadcasters need ‘stable’ funding for news and prominence on Youtube, Ofcom finds ]
Nandy said: “I said last year that we want everyone, including children, who now largely consume media online, to be able to find high quality content on video sharing platforms and I urged you to work together to achieve it.
“That remains my preference, but if action doesn’t accelerate, we will introduce prominence requirements for public service media content on video sharing platforms as we have done on televisions.”
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