The Society of Editors has criticised plans by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government to reduce daily media briefings at No 10, warning the move could weaken transparency and democratic accountability.
The organisation, which represents major news outlets, said regular and robust questioning of government was essential to a healthy democracy. Its concerns follow the announcement by Downing Street’s director of communications, Tim Allan, that the traditional twice-daily lobby briefings would be cut to one per day, with some replaced by press conferences.
The changes were unveiled on Thursday without prior consultation with the lobby of political journalists who routinely attend the briefings to question the prime minister’s spokesperson. Afternoon lobby briefings, held on the record at Downing Street, allow reporters to ask unlimited questions on any topic. By contrast, government press conferences typically involve fewer questions and selected journalists.
Under the new system, attendance at press conferences will be expanded to include content creators and specialist reporters. However, concerns have been raised after reports that some influencers were previously asked to submit questions in advance and warned not to stray from agreed topics.
Dawn Alford, chief executive of the Society of Editors, said replacing journalist-led questioning with government-controlled press conferences risked limiting scrutiny.
She described the lack of consultation as “deeply concerning” and warned that broader access should not come at the expense of experienced political reporters asking informed and challenging questions.
Senior journalists have echoed those concerns, arguing the reforms could restrict access if the government controls the format and selection of questioners.
Defending the changes, Allan said the media landscape had changed and that afternoon lobby briefings were often poorly attended and repetitive. He said the new approach would better reflect how the public now consumes information.
A government spokesperson insisted it remained committed to press scrutiny and said a daily lobby briefing would continue. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said they would reinstate afternoon briefings if returned to power.
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