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Westminster from the outside looking in: Press access under Boris Johnson's government.

IUPDATE: Westminster From the Outside Looking in - Press Access Under Boris Johnson's Government

Groucho Club, Provisional date only at this stage, Monday 7th September 2020, having been originally scheduled to take place on Monday, 6th April 2020.

In common with all events involving people meeting together, this event has been postponed from its originally scheduled date due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

We WILL be going ahead with it as soon as normal service is resumed - we hope at the end of the summer - possibly earlier.

The first Monday in September has been used as a provisional date so that the event remains live on this website with details of all ticket holders still retained from the original date. We shall keep ticket holders advised and update this site when we have more specific information.

 Event detail

The morning of 13th December ushered in a new political reality for the UK. The emphatic General Election result ensured Britain would leave the EU, while also making Boris Johnson the most powerful Conservative Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher's heyday.

But claims that the Prime Minister and his chief aide Dominic Cummings were using Trumpian tactics when dealing with the press soon surfaced. Briefings for parliament's press lobby were moved away from Westminster to Number 9 Downing Street, making it more difficult for some journalists to attend. Some briefings were given only to selected journalists. Neutral civil servants were allocated a back seat and more combative press spokesman with a background fronting the vote leave campaign were given key roles. So is independent reporting and press access under threat, or is it just fluff?

Chris Hope is The Telegraph's award winning Chief Political Correspondent and was chairman of The Parliamentary Lobby til a few days ago. Will Walden was Boris Johnson's Director of Communications when he was Mayor of London. Join them and other special guests to discuss the Prime Minister's controversial press operation: how it operates and the future of access to information and press freedom under this administration.

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PANEL

• Christopher Hope - Chief Political Correspondent, Daily Telegraph
• Will Walden  - Johnson's former chief adviser 

OTHERS TO FOLLOW

Location: The Groucho Club, 45 Dean Street, London W1D 4QB
Doors open at 6.30pm, conversation starts at 7.00pm

Tickets

£12.50 Members of The Media Society, Editorial Intelligence and The London Press Club

£12.50 Members of the Groucho Club

£17.50 Guests of Members

£20.00 Non-Members and their Guests

£7.50 Students

To join The Media Society to enjoy member discounts and other benefits for only £30 per year.
Please see "how to join" on our website - www.themediasociety.com

Ticket Refund Policy:

• Ticket refunds are only, available if The Media Society is able to re-sell the tickets. Refunds will also be given if the event is cancelled. If the venue is moved, the date is changed, the topic is changed or the speakers are changed after you have purchased your tickets and the replacement venue, date, topic or speakers are not to the satisfaction of those who originally acquired tickets, please use the refund request facility within Eventbrite or contact admin@themediasociety.com to request a full refund.

Exclusive Groucho Dinner Offer
Why not stay for dinner at The Groucho Club afterwards. Two courses and a glass of house wine or a Peroni at a special price of £25.00 per head. Please contact the Club Restaurant directly ahead of time on 020 7439 4685citing The Media Society and the event. On arrival at the restaurant show your ticket for this event or the ticket confirmation e-mail on your mobile device.