Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026

Public bill · Government · Presented

The Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 would protect people who speak out on matters of public interest from obviously baseless or abusive court cases, including defamation claims. It would let courts deal with such cases quickly, require claimants to provide security for costs, award the defendant costs or damages, and refuse to enforce similar judgments from certain countries outside the EU; these protections would apply to both domestic and cross-border cases. It would also update defamation law and replace related provisions in the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to give further effect to Directive (EU) 2024/1069 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on protecting persons who engage in public participation from manifestly unfounded claims or abusive court proceedings (‘Strategic lawsuits against public participation’); to apply the provisions to domestic cases; for those purposes to amend the Defamation Act 2009; to repeal sections 19 and 20 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026; and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 30 September 2026