Leading article: There must be no delay

The man who will judge the British media laid out his stall yesterday. Lord Justice Leveson noted acidly that his terms of reference "grew substantially" after the Prime Minister's initial statement announcing the establishment of a public inquiry. This was a reference to David Cameron's decision that Leveson should examine not only the ethics and regulation of the press, but also the BBC and social media.

The upshot, according to Lord Justice Leveson, is that his report might not be delivered in 12 months as originally planned. His frustration is understandable, but Lord Justice Leveson should be in no doubt that another sprawling, Saville-style inquiry is precisely what is not required.

The hacking story is still developing. The latest revelation is that Sara Payne, the grieving mother of a murder victim who became an anti-paedophile activist, might have also been hacked. Lord Justice Leveson will plainly have a difficult job to prevent his inquiry cutting across the police investigation. That could offer another reason for delay. But that too must be resisted.

It is strongly in the public interest that the Leveson report is delivered as soon as possible, and its recommendations swiftly acted upon. Public faith in the press depends on it.