Keir Starmer suffers humiliating defeat in Lords in huge win for Tories | Politics | News

Sir Keir Starmer suffered a humiliating defeat in the Lords last night over a social media ban on under-16s. In a heavy Government defeat, his colleagues supported the move by 261 votes to 150, a majority of 111.

This means the ban, which Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has been pushing for, will have to be considered by MPs in the House of Commons. Technology Minister Liz Kendall announced a three-month consultation this week following growing calls from campaigners and Opposition MPs.

But former Tory schools minister Lord Nash argued the late concession was just further delay.

He said: “The government’s consultations are in my view unnecessary, misunderstood and clearly a last-minute attempt to derail this.”

The Tory MP, who is proposing changes to the Children’s Welfare and Schools Act, told the upper house: “Many young people spend long hours a day on social media, five, six, seven or more.

“The evidence for the damage this has caused is now overwhelming.

“We’re well past the point of correlation or causation. There’s so much evidence now from around the world that it’s clear that children are being harmed across the board, whether it’s health, cognitive ability, educational attainment, crime, economic productivity.”

He added: “It’s going to happen. The only question is when. We have the opportunity to do it now in this bill, and more and more harm is being done to children every day. We must act now.”

Responding to the debate, education minister Baroness Smith of Malvern said: “We know that many people in this House and elsewhere have concerns about children’s online safety, how much time they spend in front of a screen and how this may affect their health.

“Rest assured that the government hears these concerns, and we are ready to take action to address them.”

He added: “Even if there is consensus that action is required, it is clear that there are a range of different views on the action we should take.”

Speaking after the vote, Lord Nash said: “Tonight our peers are putting our children’s future first.

“This vote begins the process of stopping the devastating damage social media has inflicted on a generation.”

Changes made to the bill by colleagues will be considered by MPs during a ping-pong process in which the bill is debated between the House of Commons and the House of Lords until agreement is reached.

A Government spokesman said: “We will take action to ensure children have a healthier relationship with mobile phones and social media.

“It’s important we get this right, which is why we’ve launched a consultation and will work with experts, parents and young people to make sure we take the best approach based on evidence.”