Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has clashed with colleague Kemi Badenoch over the government’s Online Safety Bill, after the Tory leadership candidate attacked the proposed legislation.
After it emerged that the bill’s final stages have been delayed until the autumn, Ms Badenoch said the postponement was the “right move”, adding: “We should not be legislating for hurt feelings.”
The “anti-woke” right-winger contender tweeted: “The bill is in no fit state to become law. If I’m elected prime minister I will ensure the bill doesn’t overreach.”
But Ms Dorries, who has been spearheading the bill aimed at cracking down on harmful content, fired back: “Which part of the bill legislates for hurt feelings, Kemi?”
Labour’s shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell also lashed out at Ms Badenoch, saying her comments showed why she “shouldn’t be let loose on protecting our children”.
The Labour MP tweeted: “You obviously have no idea how the bill will work nor why it’s needed. You’ve clearly fully sniffed up some dodgy briefing from an ill-informed colleague. Educate yourself before you preach if you want to be PM.”
The legislation was provisionally due to go before parliament next week, but The Independent understands that it has been delayed to allow for a confidence vote in the government and the next stage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to take place.
However, the bill is expected to be tabled in the autumn once the new prime minister has taken office.
Campaigners have warned that any delay could be detrimental in the fight to keep children safe online.
Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at the NSPCC, said the bill was “a crucial piece of legislation that is fundamentally about protecting children from harm and abuse that is taking place on an industrial scale on social media”.
He added: “Any delay will mean families continue to pay the price for the failure and inaction of tech firms who have allowed harm to fester rather than get their house in order.”
Ms Dorries has vowed that the legislation would hold tech giants to account when “harm, abuse and criminal behaviour have run riot on their platforms”.
The bill will give the regulator Ofcom the power to fine companies that fail to comply with the laws up to 10 per cent of their annual global turnover.
But some view the bill as an attack on freedom of speech, given its attempt to crack down on legal but “harmful” expression.
Tim Cairns, senior policy officer at charity Care, said his organisation “understands the free speech concerns associated with certain provisions … However, other aspects of this legislation are unquestionably laudable”.
He argued that safeguarding online has not kept pace with safeguarding in the real world. Care is particularly concerned about the array of disturbing and harmful content children encounter online.
“Age verification is one measure that would reduce child exposure to pornography – something the vast majority of Brits support,” said Mr Cairns. “Age checks were already legislated for in 2017 but never actually brought into force. The Online Safety Bill was supposed to correct this mistake.”
Mr Cairns added: “Failing to deliver this change would amount to a second betrayal of children, who deserve help and protection from those in power.”
Meanwhile, work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey – who called her candidate Liz Truss a “fantastic lady” – said it was time for supporters of Ms Badenoch and Suella Braverman to fall in behind the foreign secretary.
Ms Badenoch, who has strong support from anti-woke MPs, picked up a more impressive 40 votes and is not expected to back out at the second round of voting today.
