The Houses of Parliament building in Westminster, London, UK. Picture: Nigel J Harris/Shutterstock National newspaper editors from across the political spectrum have come together to call for the next King’s Speech to include provisions against intimidating legal tactics, known as SLAPPs. SLAPPs, or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, are lawsuits targeting journalists, news organisations, whistleblowers or other groups publishing information in the public interest that are widely regarded as meritless, abusive and aimed at bullying them into silence. Some 127 media and legal figures have now signed an open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Justice Secretary David Lammy urging “universal anti-SLAPP provisions” to be included in the next King’s Speech to be held in May. The letter noted that in the five years since the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition was founded, “SLAPPs have been documented against journalists, tax transparency experts, online reviewers, patients, environmental campaigners, local residents, sexual violence survivors, whistleblowers, academics, tenants, victims groups and advocates, and social media users, to name a few. “In these cases, wealthy and …