Mordaunt claims government remain ‘committed’ to delayed move to tackle online hate
Leader of the house Penny Mordaunt is warned by Labour that delays to bill - designed to tackle hatred on the web, including antisemitism - have come as 'online crime explodes' in UK
Penny Mordaunt has said the government “remains committed” to legislation designed to tackle online hate, including antisemitism, after being pressed by Labour over delays to its progress.
Leader of the house Mordaunt denied claims the legislation had been dropped by new PM Rishi Sunak, after it emerged the Bill, which was due to have its third reading in the Commons on Tuesday 1 November, but has since been removed from Commons business.
Thangam Debbonaire, shadow leader of the house, raised the fact that the Online Safety Bill was “first mooted over a decade ago” by the Tory government.
She told MPs on Thursday: “Since the Conservatives first announced their intention to regulate seven other jurisdictions have introduced online safety laws and in the UK in that time online crime has exploded.
“Child sexual abuse online has become rife… every day that goes by without the Bill the suffering continues.”
Debbonaire questioned the leader of the house on whether Rishi Sunak has “been forced to pull” the legislation by the newly appointed trade secretary.
Responding Mordaunt said: “The Online Safety Bill will be brought back into the house shortly. It is a priority for this government and remains a priority.”
But she said time was needed to “properly look at amendments and this is why it was not brought by before.”
Previous culture secretaries, including Oliver Dowden had assured the Jewish community that the legislation would provide protection from anti-Jewish hatred online.
But the government is known to be concerned about alienating free speech advocates, who question the use of a new legal but harmful definition to counter online hate.
On Wednesday Labour shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said it was “disgraceful” that the Bill had been delayed again.
During a Westminster Hall debate, Labour MP Alex-Davies Jones also asked culture minister Damian Collins why the next legislative stages were being delayed for the second time.
Collins did not deny that the Bill had been removed from Commons business for next week, and suggested that the recent change in prime minister may have prompted the most recent delay.
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