Cameron: I want press pact to cover Scotland

Scottish ministers hope UK Culture Secretary Maria Miller will travel to Scotland within days to brief political parties on the proposals – which would bring in £1million fines and attempt to regulate the internet for the first time.

Mr Cameron's aides said he was keen for the First Minister to introduce the same system north of the Border, creating a single UK-wide press regulator.

One said: "We would like to see (these proposals) adopted in Scotland too."

Ministers at Holyrood have attempted to distance themselves from the report by Lord McCluskey, commissioned by Mr Salmond following the conclusions of Leveson, given the backlash from industry and from opposition parties, who warned they would create the most draconian press laws in the western world.

Sources close to the First Minister last night stressed the Scottish Government "at no point favoured compulsory regulation".

Mr Salmond said he would take a good look at the reforms set out in the House of Commons yesterday and whether they were compatible with Scots Law.

Under the plans, agreed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Tories in the early hours of yesterday morning, legislation will be used to underpin a new system of industry self-regulation.

Campaign group Hacked Off welcomed the deal, despite the terms falling short of its initial demands. The group said the proposals for a Royal Charter would protect the freedom of the press and the public.

A clause to separate the new regulator from the Privy Council – the group of senior politicians who advise the Queen –would protect the press from political interference, the organisation added.

Ministers will write into law the use of "exemplary" damages, of up to £1m, for newspapers who refuse to join the new system, and that two-thirds of MPs and peers have to agree any changes to the Royal Charter.

Conservative MP Peter Lilley warned the regulator could use the threat of large fines to effectively prohibit the publication of stories. He said: "At worst, it is going to be establishing a sort of mini self-appointed Ministry of Truth, who can decide what is true and must be published and what is false and must be withdrawn."

There were also warnings it would allow politicians to interfere in the press and inhibit freedom of speech on websites.

The detail of the draft Royal Charter led to a war of words in the Commons as Labour MPs lined up to try to force Mr Cameron to say that legislation would be used.

Mr Cameron has opposed statutory underpinning and insisted he had seen off full-scale legislation of the press.

Ministers also face questions over why four members of Hacked Off were present when the deal was agreed, despite talks in Labour leader Ed Miliband's parliamentary office continuing until after 3am.

Mr Salmond said: "We should see if this proposal can be made compliant with Scots Law, but also can meet concerns people have about the behaviour of some elements of the press. If it can do that, it's an idea worthy of consideration."

Issues expected to be discussed with Ms Miller include how to incentivise members of the Scottish press to sign up to the reforms since there is no tradition of exemplary damages in Scots Law.

It will probably be May before the Privy Council can establish a Royal Charter, which will give Holyrood time to consider the issue.

Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran called on the First Minister to "ensure correct remedies are put into law to ensure the Royal Charter is operational in Scotland and that victims of press intrusion are treated equally across the UK".

Tim Blott, president of the Newspaper Society of Scotland, said the impact of the proposed system of press regulation required close examination.

He added: "We have stated we are in favour of a UK wide solution and have several concerns about a Scotland-only system of press regulation and what the costs of that might be, particularly to smaller publishers."