Marr 'is prepared to walk away from gagging order'

Andrew Marr has indicated that he is prepared to relinquish a super-injunction that he secured over the British media more than three years ago and has been in place ever since.

The BBC journalist secured a gagging order in January 2008 when details about his private life were about to be published. However, in an interview with the Daily Mail, he said that although the revelations would still prove embarrassing, he believes injunctions should not last "forever" and that with more than 30 now in place, they're "out of control".

The legal prevention of stories being published about celebrities' misdemeanours has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, amid accusations that the High Court is establishing a privacy law by the back door. The admission from Marr is therefore seen as particularly significant.

"There is a case for privacy in a limited number of difficult situations, but then you have to move on," he said. "Injuncting the entire universe seems to be going a bit too far."