Anti-SLAPP protection stops at economic crime

The ECCTA anti-SLAPP provisions came into force on 18 June 2025, and in March 2026 the High Court delivered the first statutory strike-out: Kamal v Tax Policy Associates [2026] EWHC 551 (KB), throwing out an 'oppressive' £8m libel claim. But the regime applies only to claims relating to economic crime; reporting on sexual misconduct, environmental harm, political wrongdoing or public safety gets no protection, and the government has stated no current plans to extend it. The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition has a drafted model law ready. The Anti-Corruption Strategy committed to tackling legal threats against journalists exposing corruption but stopped short of comprehensive legislation.

SLAPPs are how UK corruption stays unreported: London remains the venue of choice for wealthy claimants to exhaust journalists before publication. The March 2026 ruling proves the statutory mechanism works; leaving most public-interest speech unprotected is now a legislative choice, not a technical problem.

A comprehensive Anti-SLAPP Act covering all public-interest speech (the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition model law), matching court procedure rules, and a legal-defence fund for small newsrooms and freelancers facing pre-publication threats.

// Build now: First artefact: legal-defence fund for small newsrooms and freelancers; comprehensive Anti-SLAPP Act is the end-state.

A proven statutory strike-out now protects only economic-crime reporting; a drafted model law would cover all public-interest speech, making the remaining exposure a legislative choice not a technical one.