Wes Streeting says Starmer ‘behind the curve’ on under-16s social media ban – UK politics live | Politics

Good morning. The government is consulting on whether to follow Australia’s lead and impose a ban on social media for under-16s or opt for other restrictions, with the consultation ending at 11.59pm tonight. Keir Starmer is expected to announce the government’s response shortly. He already said that there would be some kind of action. Last year ministers were skeptical about following Australia’s example, but this is an issue where views are changing so quickly, both in government and wider society.

this morning Wes StreetThe former health minister, who was actually running a leadership campaign, intervened. He likened the industry to the tobacco industry, saying the social media ban on people under 16 “should be the beginning, not the end,” according to the Guardian.

In an interview on the Today program this morning, Streeting went further, saying he unsuccessfully argued for tougher action while in cabinet and accused Keir Starmer of being “behind” on the issue.

Here are some key lines from his interview.

• Streeting repeated his claim that social media was akin to the tobacco industry, and suggested that social media managers were hiding evidence of the extent of harm caused by their products, just as tobacco bosses did in the mid-20th century. He said:

What we see from Big Tech is behavior similar to Big Tobacco… We know from whistleblowers that those in the technology industry who are responsible for designing the technology that changes every aspect of our lives, including social media platforms, know that the product they design is addictive and harmful, and their business model is to recruit children when they are young, make them addicted with design features designed for addiction, attract your attention and keep you on their platforms. for as long as possible.

And then we see the consequences begin to emerge, through growing evidence of the impact of this technology on childhood – sleep, concentration, learning, health, well-being, including mental health.

The harms are obvious.

The precautionary principle should also apply here. So yes, it’s fair to say the evidence is still emerging, but I think people have eyes and ears and can see the consequences of this unchecked harm.

• He claimed that governments around the world were “asleep at the wheel” on the issue. “Frankly, lawmakers, regulators, are asleep at the wheel on this issue,” he said.

• He suggested Keir Starmer was “behind” on the issue. While he hasn’t been overly critical of the Prime Minister on this issue, he has made it clear that he thinks Starmer’s government could have moved faster, arguing that governments around the world have been slow to confront social media companies on this issue. He said he was speaking out because he was now “freed from collective responsibility obligations.” He said the arguments he was making publicly today were arguments he had made privately “in a number of cabinet committees and meetings” in government and that he was “pushing as hard as I could”. He said the government was now moving towards a “better position” but suggested Starmer could move faster.

To be fair to science and technology secretary Liz Kendall, she came into office [in September last year]it recognized this and chose to conduct a rapid consultation on the principle of how restrictions would be implemented rather than whether. These are all positive. I trust Liz Kendall to act quickly following the conclusion of today’s consultation.

We must because, as I said, we are behind the curve.

Of course, there is no actual leadership election in the Labor Party yet. Streeting is not officially a candidate. But he said in the Today interview that he certainly had the names of the 81 Labor MPs he needed to mount a leadership challenge and was only holding back to allow Andy Burnham a chance to return to parliament in the Makerfield by-election on June 18.

Here is the agenda of the day.

Morning: Keir Starmer is visiting East Sussex to promote the government announcement of a competition review of the childcare sector, where he will speak to the media.

Afternoon: A lobby briefing is being held in Downing Street.

After 2pm: MSPs are debating a Scottish government motion saying the UK government should give Holyrood the power to hold a referendum on Scottish independence. Voting will take place at 17:00.

Afternoon: Starmer meets bereaved parents who blame social media for their children’s deaths at a roundtable event in Downing Street. A. government consultation The possible announcement of a social media ban on under-16s ends tonight and Starmer is expected to take government action shortly.

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