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Damien Green is handsy at parties = actionable
Damien Green, who appears on the leaked Whip's office list as allegedly being 'handsy at parties' = not actionable.
ketsbaia-
Damien Green, who appears on the leaked Whip's office list as allegedly being 'handsy at parties' = not actionable.
Exactly.
Except that it is actionable., even if "allegedly" is written.
(Per the Defamation Act 1996, Section 1, (1) (a) & (b))
(IANAL etc... & could be entirely mistaken)
[Edit] Also the common law "repetition rule", referenced in the 2013 Defamation Act explanatory notes, Section 2, 15.
There is a long-standing common law rule that it is no defence to an action for defamation for the defendant to prove that he or she was only repeating what someone else had said (known as the “repetition rule”).
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So you can run any story you want so long as it's attributed to an anonymous document?
I imagine that tactically the Tories didn't want to get into legal action because some of the things were true but eventually someone would break rank and sue if it was repeated enough.
NotThamesWater
aggi
You can still be sued for repeating it, regardless of whether you're not the original source.