The prime minister has previously said that he opposes Leveson's call for the regulator to be backed by legislation but he told the newspaper bosses to act soon or face the consequences. "I've told them that they have to produce a tough, independent regulatory system rapidly, and they've got to do it in a way that it absolutely meets the requirement of Lord Justice Leveson's report," Cameron said after the meeting.
"That means million-pound fines, proper investigation of complaints, prominent apologies." He added: "They know, because I told them, the clock is ticking for this to be sorted out." Cameron commissioned the Leveson Inquiry in July 2011, after the phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid and has since prompted dozens of arrests.
He was criticised by victims of press intrusion when he warned after the publication of Leveson's report that introducing legislation to underpin the new regulator could endanger the freedom of the press. Much of Britain's press, particularly centre-right titles including the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, welcomed his stance, but the government has indicated that the quid pro quo is to set up an effective regulator quickly. Culture minister Maria Miller, who chaired the meeting, said the editors were "unanimous" on the need to work together and "agreed to come back to the government with toughened proposals shortly."