Lord Puttnam

Lord Puttnam is a Labour Party Member of the House of Lords.

Defamation Bill

Lord Puttnam is responsible for an amendment, passed by 272 to 141, that may cause the Defamation Bill to be abandoned entirely by the Coalition Government. Puttnam's amendment would create a libel arbitration body that could issue large fines to journalists who fail to consult it before publishing their stories. The Government is reportedly considering dropping the whole Bill rather than risk defeat in the House of Commons, which may occur if the amendment is still attached.