Tom
Watson, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport,
commenting on accusations the Conservatives have rolled back on manifesto
commitments on internet safety, said:

“The
Culture Secretary seems to have bowed to pressure from the social media giants
before her strategy had even been published. 

“The
Tories made a clear and unambiguous promise in their manifesto to bring forward
legislation to compel social media providers and other internet firms to pay a
levy – but it’s now been watered down to a voluntary levy. We know from the
gambling industry that a voluntary system allows companies to ignore their
responsibilities and to underpay. Karen Bradley should keep her promise and
make sure the tech giants do the right thing. 

“They
have had nearly a decade to deal with these issues and failed. I find it hard
to believe a voluntary code will change much. They may evade appropriate
regulation from the Tories but they should know that a future Labour government
will not succumb to their lobbying power.“

Cat
Smith MP, Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs, commenting on the Electoral
Commission report on voting in 2017, said:

“Labour is
committed to taking radical steps to ensure all eligible voters are registered
and able to use their vote. We welcome the Electoral Commission’s findings that
two thirds of voters support auto-enrolment with NI Numbers.

“A Labour
government will extend the locations in which voter registration can take place
and pilot the idea of polling day voter registration, as well as examining the
use of government data to automatically place people on the electoral roll.”

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the Institute for Global Prosperity’s
report on Universal Basic Services, said:

“Rapid
technological changes are a profound challenge for our economy and society.
This report offers bold new thinking on how we can overcome those challenges and
create an economy that is radically fairer and offers opportunities for all.

“It
makes an important contribution to the debate around Universal Basic Income,
and will help inform Labour’s thinking on how we can build an economy that
truly works for the many not the few.”

Tom
Watson, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport, commenting
on the Government’s Internet Safety Strategy, said:

“Everyone
agrees on the need to deal with abusive and harmful content online. Parents
worry about what their children see on the internet, and too many people
experience cyberbullying and online intimidation.

“We’re
pleased the Government has accepted Labour’s call for compulsory sex and
relationship education in schools, including online safety education, as well
as for codes of practice for social media companies to prevent abuse.

“But this
announcement is short on detail. The Government needs to say more about who
exactly will pay the proposed levy, how much they will pay and how it will be
spent. And they need to explain what transparency information they will be
asking social media companies to provide.”

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the Institute
for Global Prosperity’s report on Universal Basic Services, said:

“Rapid
technological changes are a profound challenge for our economy and society.
This report offers bold new thinking on how we can overcome those challenges
and create an economy that is radically fairer and offers opportunities for
all.

“It
makes an important contribution to the debate around Universal Basic Income,
and will help inform Labour’s thinking on how we can build an economy that
truly works for the many not the few.”