Brown scraps press threat; INQUESTS: Coroners win the day in fight over reporting rights.

Byline: By Jonathan Walker 

PLANS to restrict media reporting at inquests have been scrapped after a massive campaign waged by coroners around the country, including Birmingham's Aidan Cotter.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Government was abandoning the idea of allowing coroners to stop the media reporting key facts of a case. He made the announcement as he revealed a package of reforms giving new rights to protesters and new rights to privacy for the public.

Ministers had proposed changes in the law to give coroners the right to order that the deceased person, their family and their friends should not be identified by the media.

But the proposal sparked a rare public response from a serving coroner, when Mr Cotter, called them "dangerous, undemocratic and totally unworkable".

In an interview in July, he warned: "The whole purpose of the inquest procedure is to make sure the death cannot be hushed up."

Mr Brown yesterday said the Government was axing the proposal as part of a range of measures designed to reinvigorate British democracy.

This will include a national consultation to draw up a Bill of Rights and establish a written constitution.

He said: "I want to explore how together we can write a new chapter in our country's story of liberty." Turning to freedom of the press, Mr Brown said: "There is a case for applying our enduring ideas of liberty to ensure that laws governing the press in this country fully respect freedom of speech.

"The key is to achieve the right balance between freedom of the press, the protection of individual privacy, and public safety and security, and I now believe there is more we can do to ensure that freedom of expression and legitimate journalism are protected." Birmingham Mail Editor, Steve Dyson, said: "The Birmingham Mail would like to thank Mr Cotter for taking a stand on this important issue.

"It is vitally important that the press are free to report the details of inquests for the benefit of the public and we are pleased with the announcement from the Prime Minister."

Birmingham MP Gisela Stuart (Lab, Edgbaston) welcomed Mr Brown's announcements.

OUR SAY: PAGE 10

CAPTION(S):

PRESS FREEDOM ROW... (from left) Aidan Cotter, Gordon Brown and Gisela Stuart.