Latest updates: party says prime minister has ‘tarnished UK’s international reputation’ as she visits US
In her first PMQs as prime minister, Liz Truss said that under her premiership there would be “tweaks” to the online safety bill to ensure it does more to protect free speech. The bill is currently at report stage in the House of Commons, which means MPs have already spent many hours debating it, but the government could still table amendments in the Commons or in the House of Lords.
In her interviews this morning Michelle Donelan, the new culture secretary, claimed that the changes proposed by Truss would not affect the measures in the bill protecting children. They would only relate to ensuring “we’ve got the balance right in terms of free speech in relation to adults”, she said.
I’m not going to announce today exactly how we’ll be changing [the bill] because the due process will be to do that in parliament.
But that element is in relation to adults. The bits in relation to children and online safety will not be changing. And that is the overarching objective of the bill, and why we put it in our manifesto.
