Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Definition of Newspaper) Order 2025

Parliament voted on 16 July 2025 to approve the Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Definition of Newspaper) Order 2025, one of two statutory instruments updating media merger rules to bring major online news publishers within the scope of public interest scrutiny for the first time. The order passed by 334 votes to 54. It works alongside a companion order, the Enterprise Act 2002 (Amendment of Section 58 Considerations) Order 2025, which passed on the same day by 333 to 54. The orders update powers originally set out in the Enterprise Act 2002, which previously allowed the Secretary of State to intervene in mergers involving only print newspapers and broadcasters. Under the new rules, significant online news publishers can also be examined on public interest grounds, including the accurate presentation of news and free expression of opinion. The change reflects a shift in news consumption: a 2024 report found that 71 per cent of UK adults now get news from online sources. The practical effect is that the government can scrutinise mergers involving large digital news outlets in the same way it has been able to scrutinise print and broadcast mergers for over two decades. Labour and its Co-operative partners voted unanimously in favour. The Liberal Democrats voted against in large numbers, with 49 of their MPs in the no lobby. Most Conservative MPs had no vote recorded, with only three voting against. Reform UK, the Greens, the DUP and several smaller parties all voted with the government.