Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch says "we should all be concerned" at the now-abandoned ban introduced by Reform UK's Nottinghamshire County Council leadership against Nottinghamshire Live.
The month-long ban was lifted in full in early October after weeks of campaigning that saw the act condemned by figures ranging from the Prime Minister to a leading US congressman, alongside more than 40,000 people who signed a petition raising concerns about the precedent the ban set in terms of press freedom.
The dangerous nature of the ban has again been highlighted as the News Media Association (NMA) marks its annual Journalism Matters week of campaigning, highlighting the positive impact journalism has on society and the threats it faces.
A parliamentary reception marking the campaign's launch on Monday (November 3) saw former culture select committee member, Labour's James Frith MP, talk about the danger posed by Reform's ban.
The NMA asked both Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch to pledge their support for the Journalism Matters campaign and in her written remarks, the Conservative Party leader says: "Local news still reaches big audiences, and local papers and radio stations have led on some hugely important campaigns, as well as providing ongoing coverage of the impact of scandals and life-changing events, long after the national press have moved on.
"As the government pursues its plan of devolving power away from Westminster, local journalism will be even more critical in providing robust scrutiny on behalf of the public.
"Which is why we should all be concerned when local administrations, such as the Reform-led Nottinghamshire Council, seek to restrict access to their local newspaper."
The lifting of the ban followed a legal challenge launched by Nottinghamshire Live and Reform's national leadership repeatedly said they had no problem with the media, with Nigel Farage saying he does more interviews than any other party leader.
The ban was first introduced due to unhappiness from Reform's county council leadership about an article on local government reorganisation, which contained a claim that those not voting for Councillor Mick Barton's preference on the issue could be suspended.
The claim was put to the councillors concerned and to Councillor Barton himself and none of them took the opportunity to publicly deny it before publication.