CONSERVATIVE peer Lord Hunt has been appointed as the new chairman of the Press Complaints Commission.
The lawyer and former Wirral West MP takes up his role next week, succeeding Baroness Buscombe, who stepped down in the summer.
Lord Hunt’s appointment to lead the body comes as the methods of the press face increased scrutiny following the phone hacking scandal.
He said he would continue to fight for freedom of expression, but said there was “a real appetite for change”. Lord Hunt became a peer in 1997 and is currently chairman of the financial services division at law firm Beachcroft.
He said: “I am delighted I shall be leading the crucially important process of wholesale regeneration and renewal of the system of independent self-regulation of the press.
“My job is to ensure we create in due course an effective, genuinely independent standards body, which enjoys the overwhelming respect and support of the media, our political leaders and the general public.”
