Registration fee for accreditation
Tories collect money from media representatives ahead of party conference
6/20/2023 8:57 am
“Thousands” of journalists want to cover the British Conservative party conference. In view of the Partygate affair surrounding ex-party leader Johnson, the great interest is no wonder. The Tories set up a financial hurdle in advance for media representatives.
Hundreds of foreign media groups have accused Britain’s Conservatives of undermining press freedom by charging a registration fee to cover coverage of the Tory party conference. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party had already charged a fee for accreditation for the party conference last year and rejected complaints from British and foreign organizations. The party now charges a fee of £137 (€160) for accreditation to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October. From August it increases to 880 pounds.
According to the party, the money is intended to cover the administrative costs incurred by “thousands” of journalists who wanted to report on the party congress. The UK Foreign Press Association said the decision set a “dangerous precedent for countries around the world that could use the decision to justify financial or other barriers to media scrutiny of the political process”. The association called on the Tory party to “abolish or refund the fees and allow all to report fairly and freely”.
The open letter was signed by almost 300 media groups, including the AFP news agency, the New York Times, Washington Post, Le Monde, The Hindu, Yomiuri Shimbun, Der Spiegel and the ” Sydney Morning Herald. Media from more than 60 countries are represented, including China and Russia. For the opposition Labor Party, accreditation for the conference is free until July 28, after which a fee of £75 will be charged until the end of August, rising to £95 from September.