Newspaper regulation 'almost certainly illegal' under EU laws, says Lord Black The Government is already under pressure to change the plans, after critics pointed out bloggers and small publishers could be hit with huge fines if they upset powerful people or institutions. Ministers last night put forward plans to exempt "small-scale bloggers" from the threat of being hit with damages. However, some in the newspaper industry still fear the new laws will create a "chilling effect" that stops the press pursuing important investigative or political stories for fear of the financial consequences. Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Black said the proposals are "alien to decades of English law, and almost certainly illegal under European law." "They would provide a hammer blow to investigative journalism," he said. And they would disproportionately impact on smaller publishers, and in particular the regional press. The peer urged the Government to re-think its plans, which he argued were too rushed. "They were cobbled together late at night over pizza and Kit-Kats with no thought for the legal and constitutional issues involved," he said. The Government believes its plans to create a new press regulator by law will tread a fine line between protecting victims of media intrusion and preserving freedom of expression. The Prime Minister agreed a deal after months of wrangling within the Coalition about whether to accept the Leveson Report, which recommended new regulation of the press in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal. A number of peers tried to introduce amendments to stop foreign newspapers, bloggers and charities being caught by the new laws. However, many others fully supported the legislation and criticised the press for complaining. Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, a Labour peer, said newspapers should stop "hyperventilating." Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, a Liberal Democrat peer, hailed the Government's proposals as protecting the freedom of the press and the rights of individuals. "We need a raucous, unfettered press, but one that does not prey on the vulnerable and innocent," she said. I believe we have achieved this balance through the proposed royal charter and we have achieved it with all party consensus.