Labour attacks ‘disgraceful’ delay as Online Safety Bill dropped from schedule

Labour has attacked another “disgraceful” delay to the Tory government’s Online Safety Bill after it was dropped from the Commons schedule.

On Wednesday a junior culture minister failed to deny the crucial legislation – aimed at regulating social media giants – had been pulled from the promised timetable following previous delays.

The Independent understands the bill has been delayed to give MPs time to consider new amendments set to be introduced by the Rishi Sunak government – but the plan is to bring it back within weeks.

A spokesperson said: “Protecting children and stamping out illegal activity online is a top priority for the government and we will bring the Online Safety Bill back to parliament as soon as possible.”

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt told MPs only last week it would return for its remaining third reading stages on 1 November.

But culture minister Damian Collins cast serious doubt over that prospect earlier on Wednesday. In a Westminster Hall debate, he did not deny the delay and suggested the change of from Liz Truss to a Sunak government may have altered it.

He said: “Our target is to make sure obviously, the bill receives a safe passage in this session of parliament, but obviously, I cannot talk to the business of the House which as a consequence of the change of government may alter.”

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said it was “disgraceful” that “one of the first acts of Rishi Sunak’s government is to, yet again, pull the Online Safety Bill”.

It comes the father of schoolgirl Molly Russell made a direct appeal to Meta to stop publishing a “demented trail of life-sucking content” after a coroner ruled the “negative effects of online content” had contributed to her death.

Ms Powell said: “In the wake of Molly Russell’s inquest, the need for urgent regulation has never been clearer, yet, unbelievably, this government can’t decide if it wants to keep children safe online. This bill must not be the victim of another grubby, backroom deal by the new PM.

She added: “Every week that passes costs lives and takes a huge toll on those affected by abuse, trolling, scamming and algorithms encouraging self-harm and suicide.”

More than five years in the making, the Online Safety Bill would impose social media giants with large fines and the threat of having their site blocked if they were found to breach the new harm rules, to be overseen by Ofcom.

The bill was put on hold during the Tory leadership race in the summer for the new prime minister, with some Tories – including trade minister Kemi Badenoch – questioning key aspects of the plan over freedom of speech principles.

Tory peer Lord Frost was among those pressing the government to drop the part of the bill which attempts to define “legal but harmful” online content – warning it could allow future Labour governments to censor free speech.

Labour has offered to work with the new culture secretary Michelle Donelan to get the final stages of this bill done, despite reservations about how tough the legislation will be on tech giants business model.

Ms Powell told The Independent last month that the government had become bogged down in a “cul-de-sac” of free speech arguments – saying the bill was a missed opportunity to tackle the algorithms which promote divisive and hateful content.

Richard Collard, child safety online policy and regulatory manager at the NSPCC, said: "Last Thursday the culture secretary said a strengthened Online Safety Bill was her number one priority … Less than a week later it appears to have been delayed again.”

He added: “Rishi Sunak must deliver on the manifesto promise to make the UK the safest place to be online by bringing back the Online Safety Bill without any further delay.”

Ms Mordaunt, the Commons Leader, will set out the Commons agenda for the coming week during the usual weekly business statement on Thursday.