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The Society of Editors has raised concerns about Keir Starmer’s plan to reduce scrutiny of No 10 by political journalists, saying it risks weakening transparency.
The body, which represents news organisations, said regular, open and robust questioning was a cornerstone of democracy and that the plan to reduce briefings was deeply concerning.
Downing Street’s director of communications, Tim Allan, unveiled the plan on Thursday without consulting the group of political journalists known as the lobby who traditionally attend briefings twice a day to question the prime minister’s spokesperson.
Allan said the government would be reducing the briefings to one a day, and would sometimes replace the single briefing with a press conference.
Held at 9 Downing Street, lobby briefings are on the record but not broadcast. Journalists can ask as many questions as they want, and on any topic. Government press conferences, in contrast, tend to involve a limited number of questions from selected journalists.
Attendance at press conferences will also be widened to include content creators and sector journalists. Politico reported on Friday that at least one influencer has told it that in a previous interview with a government minister they were asked to pre-submit questions for approval and warned against going off subject matter.
Starmer has always positioned himself as a champion of press freedom, but the changes have caused concern among journalists and news organisations five years after Boris Johnson’s No 10 also attempted to reduce scrutiny from the media by excluding some reporters.
The chief executive of the Society of Editors, Dawn Alford, said: “Regular, open and robust questioning of government is a cornerstone of democratic accountability. The afternoon lobby briefing has for many years provided journalists with a vital opportunity to challenge those in power and to seek clarity on fast-moving and often complex matters of public interest.
“It is deeply concerning that such a significant change has been announced without proper consultation with the journalists most affected. Transparency is not just about access in theory; it is about meaningful access in practice.
“Replacing routine, journalist-led questioning with government-controlled press conferences risks limiting who can ask questions, how long ministers are held to account, and which issues are addressed. Expanding attendance should not come at the expense of experienced political reporters being able to ask sustained, informed and challenging questions.”
Senior political journalists have said the reforms could restrict access and undermine scrutiny, particularly if the government controls the timetable, format and selection of questioners.
Allan said in his email announcing the change that the media landscape had been “utterly transformed”, leaving the current arrangements not fit for purpose.
“The afternoon lobby has become very sparsely attended,” he said. “It often repeats lines given at the morning lobby or repeats government lines on stories which are freely available elsewhere. It is not a good use of journalists’ time, or a good use of our communications resources.
“Instead of afternoon lobby, we will commence occasional afternoon press conferences with ministers in No 9 Downing Street. These will start with the minister setting out a new announcement from the government and taking questions on it.
“We will be instigating a series of morning press conferences in No 9 Downing Street with ministers, and occasionally the prime minister setting out the main government announcements of the day. These will be open to the lobby, to sector journalists and to content creators.
“When such press conferences occur, there will not be a lobby briefing that day.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to journalistic scrutiny of government decision-making as part of the democratic process, which is why we will continue to host a daily lobby briefing.
“However, the media landscape and the ways in which the public consumes information has changed irrevocably in recent years. It is right that our communications approach reaches the public where they are, whilst continuing to be held accountable by traditional media.”
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said they would restore afternoon lobby briefings.
