THE BBC will not appeal against a High Court ruling that it breached Cliff Richard’s privacy by broadcasting a police raid on his home, the corporation announced yesterday.

Mr Richard was awarded £210,000 in damages last month, including £20,000 for aggravated damages, because the BBC had submitted its coverage for a Scoop of the Year award.

The corporation said it would write to the Attorney General and ask him to “consider a review of the law in this important area to protect the right to properly and fairly report criminal investigations, and to name the person under investigation.”

National Union of Journalists general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said the judgement posed a “significant threat to journalists’ ability to report on criminal trials in future,” adding that it was “disappointing that there will be no formal appeal.”

However, she called the BBC’s decision not to appeal “understandable” and welcomed the call for “an urgent review and clarification of the law in light of this judgement.”