CAN I make sure that your readers read page 22 of last week’s paper (December 16) ‘A very real threat to the future of your paper’ and encourage them once again to respond to the consultation on the Leveson Enquiry?

If implemented, this legislation will effectively be the end of freedom of the press; an essential part of our democracy.

Whatever its intent, this assault on one of the essential pillars of democracy will be perceived by the public as state censorship by the establishment to cover up their own misdemeanours and peccadillos. It is effectively blackmail; newspapers either sign up to be regulated or they are liable to costs of any court case regardless of whether the reporting was accurate and in the public interest!

Of the new regulatory body, IMPRESS, Lord Anthony Lester, a former government adviser said: “What Max Mosley is now doing in funding IMPRESS, in my view, violates freedom of the press and freedom of speech and no newspaper, national or local, will sign up to the new regulator.”

However reassuring the ‘measures’ to ensure freedom continues, the threat is enough to spell the death knell of independent reporting.

Its consequences will kill off the one protection that the public has against the misdemeanours of those in public office.

Current legislation is already there to protect privacy – that’s why people went to prison over the Leveson scandal. This will be about protecting the interests of the establishment.

You can see the consultation by Googling ‘Consultation on Leveson’ and the response email is presspolicy@ culture.gov.uk. The consultation closes on the January 10.

Please, please respond – this is one of those truly retrograde pieces of legislation that could slide in under the radar and undermine our democracy without anyone really noticing.

Maureen Treadwell, Chilbolton