Phillipson condemns Tice’s legal threats as attack on press freedom
Bridget Phillipson and crossbench critics label legal action against The Guardian a chilling attempt to silence journalists investigating Reform UK funding and suspicious transactions referred to the National Crime Agency.
Labour chair Bridget Phillipson has condemned Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice for sending legal threats to The Guardian, accusing him of attempting to silence the free press and harass journalists reporting on his financial affairs. Phillipson described the move as a deeply chilling attempt to silence honest journalism, urging Tice to drop his lawsuit against the National Crime Agency (NCA) and address serious allegations regarding his financial conduct.
Tice is currently suing the NCA, claiming that information regarding his financial affairs could only have originated from an officer within the agency. In a separate letter to The Guardian, Tice’s lawyers indicated they would seek disclosure of documents to reveal the details of the newspaper’s sources, singling out Guardian correspondent Anna Isaac and suggesting she could not have had sources at multiple banks without internal agency leaks.
The legal strategy has drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart labelled the move a desperate, bullying tactic, arguing that weaponising the legal system to hunt down journalists’ sources reveals Reform’s incompatibility with a free and open democracy. Press freedom campaigners, including Susan Hawley of Spotlight on Corruption, echoed these concerns, warning that using legal threats to strong-arm journalists into disclosing sources amounts to a concerning attack on democratic principles.
Labour MP Phil Brickell, chair of the all-party group on anti-corruption, highlighted ongoing questions regarding how money donated to Reform UK was reportedly routed through Tice’s companies. Brickell described the legal correspondence as a contemptible campaign to detract from public interest questions, emphasising the need for government safeguards to protect those exposing wrongdoing from the rich and powerful.
Tice and Reform leader Nigel Farage have denied any wrongdoing, with both men having issued proceedings against the NCA. The scrutiny follows Guardian reports detailing secret donations to Reform UK and transactions reported by bankers as suspicious activity, which are not proof of crime but invite agency examination. Tice and his partner, Isabel Oakeshott, responded to the backlash on social media, criticising the newspaper’s reaction as the bleating of left-leaning journalists.
