Regulation will be imposed on press as politicians reject self-regulation "In the light of this, we will be taking forward the cross-party charter which was debated in this House," she said. Final details of the regime will be set out by Friday, she said, promising changes to reflect industry concerns. The newspaper industry said that a regime "imposed" by politicians was a threat to free speech. In a joint statement, the Newspaper Publishers Association, the Newspaper Society and the Professional Publishers Association said: "Nothing could be more controversial than a Royal Charter imposed by politicians on an industry which is wholly opposed to it and which would fatally undermine freedom of expression." The Hacked Off campaign group, which seeks tighter curbs on the press, said rejection of the industry's proposal was "long overdue." The cross-party agreement on how politicians would seek to regulate the press was reached in a late-night meeting in the office of Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, on March 18. It was attended by representatives of the three main parties and Hacked Off. The industry was not invited or represented. The Government was represented by Oliver Letwin, David Cameron's policy chief, rather than the Culture Secretary. In the Commons, Mrs Miller admitted that the meeting had looked bad. Mr Miliband's supporters say he has led debate on press regulation, but not all Labour MPs are happy with his position. Tom Harris, a former minister, warns on Wednesday that his party is undermining freedom. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, he says: "My party is turning its back on a core tenet of progressive politics: that a genuinely free press, however infuriating, is an indispensable foundation stone of democracy." Telegraph View: A threat to freedom