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When the Online Safety Act was making its way through Parliament under the previous Conservative Government, there were few voices opposing it. Aside from a small number of skirmishes within the Conservative Party over the extent of the regulations, the Online Safety Bill was passed with overwhelming cross-party support. Concerns raised by organisations like the Free Speech Union about the threat it posed to freedom of expression were waved away with vague reassurances by the then-Government. Meanwhile, the Labour Party wanted the laws to go even further. Last week’s news suggests that the Labour MPs and those who wanted the Online Safety Act to regulate political speech got their wish, and the reassurances of previous Conservative ministers have crumbled into dust.Â
Fred de Fossard, The Critic, 29th July 2025.
