Politics

Things can’t go on like this with online safety, Starmer tells tech bosses

Things can’t go on like this with online safety, Starmer tells tech bosses

22 hours ago

Laura Cressand

Liv McMahon,Technology reporters

Getty Images A close up of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Downing St, with a blurred background and the UK flag behind him.

The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things cannot go on like this” in a meeting at Downing Street discussing children’s safety online.

Executives from Meta, Snap, YouTube’s parent company Google, TikTok and X are expected to be questioned by Sir Keir and technology secretary Liz Kendall on how they are making their platforms safer for children.

Sir Keir said while he believed social media could be made safer for British children, curbing access would be “preferable to a world where harm is the price of participation”.

It comes as the government continues to consult on whether to ban social media for under-16s, following similar measures introduced in Australia.

Downing Street said the executives in attendance included Google UK managing director Kate Alessi, Markus Reinisch, a public policy chief at Meta, and Wifredo Fernandez, director of global government affairs at X.

Alistair Law, director of public policy for northern Europe at TikTok, and Snap’s Europe president Ronan Harris were also present at Thursday’s meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, Number 10 said some social media companies had already “stepped up” by putting in place protections like disabling auto-play for children by default and giving more control to parents over screen time.

On Thursday, Starmer cited concerns raised by parents and experts over social media’s impact on children’s concentration, sleep, relationships and worldview.

“The evidence is mounting and the status quo simply cannot be allowed to stand,” he said.

“It’s clear to me that parents aren’t asking us for tweaks at the edges, they’re asking us whether a system that clearly isn’t working for children should be allowed to continue at all.

“Companies have to grip this and work with us to do better by British children.”

Social media ban

Prof Gina Neff, head of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge, said the meeting was a way for the government to appear “on the front foot” with the situation.

“This is also letting the government stay strong on online harms in a moment where there’s been changing geopolitical pressures on the government to be easy on US companies,” she added.

On Wednesday evening, UK MPs rejected calls to ban social media for under-16s, which had been backed by peers in the House of Lords, for a second time.

Ministers argued a ban was premature as the government was already considering introducing its own restrictions and MPs instead voted to give ministers powers to bring in their own rules.

However, Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: “Labour MPs have once again failed parents and children by voting against a ban on social media for under-16s and against removing smartphones from schools.

“Other countries are waking up to the harms, but under Keir Starmer the UK is falling behind.”

Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: “The time for half-measures is over – we need action now to restrict the most harmful platforms for under-16s.”

Recent research from internet safety charity the Molly Rose Foundation found more than 60% of underage Australians are still using social media despite a ban on under-16s introduced in December 2025.

The charity, which has campaigned against an Australia-style ban in the UK, was established by the family of Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 at the age of 14 after viewing self-harm and suicide content on platforms including Instagram.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said he welcomed the meeting called by the prime minster but said it should not end with more “hollow promises” from tech bosses.

“Keir Starmer must turn his welcome rhetoric into action with a clear commitment in the King’s Speech to a new Online Safety Act that finally calls time on cavalier business models that put profit before safety,” he said.

Prof Amy Orben, digital mental health expert at Cambridge University, said it was important the companies and their underlying business models were held to account.

“Social media companies’ increasingly powerful algorithms have caused concern across the population, with young people and parents telling us that they experience struggles to disengage from the online world,” she said.

The national consultation, which is also looking at potential age restrictions on other services such as gaming sites and AI chatbots, will close on 26 May.

Downing Street said it has already received more than 45,000 responses, alongside some 80 organisations such as schools and community groups.

Mum ‘frustrated’ as social media ban rejected

Social media firms must better enforce Australia under-16 ban, watchdog says

Campaigners welcome Meta and YouTube’s defeat in landmark social media addiction trial

MPs reject call for under-16s social media ban, backing more flexible powers

A green promotional banner with black squares and rectangles forming pixels, moving in from the right. The text says: “Tech Decoded: The world’s biggest tech news in your inbox every Monday.”

Politics

Senior official ousted over Mandelson security row to face MPs

Senior official removed over Mandelson security dispute to face MPs13 mins agoAdam GoldsmithReutersThe Chief Foreign Office Official who was fired after it was revealed that Peter Mandelson received a security clearance in spite of concerns raised during the vetting procedure is expected to be questioned by MPs on Tuesday. This will add to the potential Sir Olly Robbins, the senior official who was fired over the Mandelson security row, will face MPs on Tuesday. On Friday, he called the decision to not inform him earlier “staggering”, and added: “That I was not told that he failed security vetting while I was telling Parliament due process had been adhered to is unforgivable.” “PA MediaMandelson’s appointment as US ambassador was announced by the government in December 2024. The developed vetting process began the same day. He officially took up the position in February 2025 before being removed in September last year when more details about his past relationships with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein were revealed Sir Olly was the most senior civil service member at the Foreign Office when Mandelson was selected for the Washington role. Dame Emily Thornberry requested that Sir Olly appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee, which she chairs, to answer questions. They also questioned whether Sir Olly had ever seen the recommendation for the Foreign Office to reject Lord Mandelson’s screening. Allies said that it was unlikely that he saw the entire report and he may have only seen specific risks during the process. The Cabinet Office oversees a government agency that carries out vetting of government employees. This agency then makes recommendations to the hiring departments. Chris Mason: Mandelson nightmare haunts Starmer once againWhat we know about Mandelson’s vetting and clearanceKeir Starmer

Politics

‘Staggering’ I was not told Mandelson failed vetting, says PM

At a press conference at Westminster, she said that Sir Keir was “unable to hope” to lead the country because of his “incompetence”. She accused him of being “so She said that she did not have enough Conservative MPs to win a no-confidence vote. “The people who are able to do that, and make this happen, are Labour MPs. “Key questions facing the government over Mandelson vettingWhat’s the Developed Vetting Security Clearance at the centre of Mandelson Row?Chris Mason : Mandelson nightmare is haunt The fact that I wasn’t informed that he failed security vetting at the time I told Parliament that due procedure had been followed, is unforgivable. “I’m furious that not only was I unaware, but no minister was informed. “I intend to go to the Parliament on Monday and present all the facts in full transparency so that Parliament has the complete picture. He added: “Number 10, who was appointed by the Cabinet Office, was not informed that he failed security vetting. That is unacceptable.” “Senior minister Darren Jones earlier said Sir Keir had not misled MPs when he said due process had been followed, and therefore would not be resigning.Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, there was no obligation in the rules for ministers to be told about security vetting decisions when Lord Mandelson was appointed, something he said he had now changed.BBC News understands the United Kingdom Security Vetting service gave the Foreign Office an explicit recommendation not to approve Lord Mandelson’s vetting.It’s understood that UKSV, which carried out the work on behalf of the Cabinet Office, presented the Foreign Office with a list of potential risks as well as a recommendation summing up those risks.That recommendation can fall into one of three categories, described by sources as “yes”, “yes with caveats” and “no”.Sources say the recommendation given to the Foreign Office by the vetting services was a “no”.The Foreign Office is believed to be the only government department in Whitehall with the authority to overrule such a recommendation.Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the PM’s explanation “just doesn’t stack up,” adding: “I am afraid he is going to have to go. “Sir Ed called for an investigation into whether Sir Keir deliberately misled Parliament by the Privileges committee, which was used to hold Boris Johnson accountable over the Partygate scandal. “Or, as a civil servant was he receiving direction from someone else, and if so by whom?” The Mandelson scandal was a tipping point in my opinion. I do not regret it. I stated my position. I stand by it. I don’t retreat from it. I believe Lord Mandel It will be delivered to your inbox each weekday. Keir StarmerNational Security

Politics

Mandelson saga is a messy palaver – and the questions continue to swirl

The The The The

Politics

Key questions facing government over Mandelson vetting

The Ke No We The The Sir According Sir Will The It It

Politics

AI minister Kendall says she doesn’t use AI at work

AI minister Kendall says that she doesn’t use AI for work. 13 hours agoMatt ChorleyPresenter, BBC Radio 5 Live and NewsnightBBCLiz Kendall, cabinet minister responsible for Artificial Intelligence, has revealed that she does not use AI to do her job. She spoke to me in a driverless car powered by AI, in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live and Newsnight, Kendall stated she only uses AI technology in her personal life, such as after an allergic reaction to a face cream. He said that no one should waste time on things AI can do faster and better. However, his cabinet colleagues were less enthusiastic. Kendall said, “I use AI more for my personal life than at work. I have to be honest.” “I’m more likely to use AI in my personal life.” “Government officials were expected to use the technology. Kendall said that while she was working at the Department for Work and Pensions staff were using AI in job centres to rewrite CVs for people seeking employment. It could also be used summarise answers to government consultations. The New Statesman reported recently that “British law is already being written by AI”, but claimed that it had been decided to not make the use of AI public. “Explaining her recent use of AI, the Labour MP asked: “Do you wanna know the last thing that I used it for ?… I can’t even believe I’m going to say this… I had an allergic reaction. I put on a probably expensive and pointless potion that I had to pay for. “I had AI go through all the ingredients in the products. There are so many products, I asked AI to look at the ingredients to see if there was one common ingredient. They also suggested a cream that would help me stop the eczema. “I checked sources and it came from the National Eczema Society. I went to the pharmacy, I asked for her best cream. She named the same one. I bought it, and it worked. The government’s Sovereign AI Unit is a venture-capital fund that will invest in British AI firms, backed with PS500m public funding. The UK firm Wayve’s driverless car demo was intended to highlight the potential that the minister sees with AI-powered technology. However, there are concerns about the impact of the tech on jobs. In London alone, 123,000 people held taxi or private hire vehicle licenses last year. There were 381,000 in England. Driverless cars could threaten their jobs. Kendall said: “I believe we’ve got level with people and tell them that jobs will be created. Jobs will change. Some jobs will go. But new ones will replace them.” “I can understand why people worry about the impact of driverless cars on jobs. We are offering free AI skills to 10 million people who work in the workforce. That’s our goal. We think this is really important for the future. “But I think it’s likely to be a mixture, isn’t that right? People will still want drive. “Some people have expressed concerns about the dangers posed by AI. YouGov’s poll from last year revealed that 75% of Britons were concerned that AI could pose a danger to humanity. Kendall was asked if she was concerned about the technology. She replied: “No. I don’t think it is dangerous.” We must consider the implications of this for jobs. She added: “I am not an engineer or computer scientist, but I am a history professor and you can see in previous industrial and technology revolutions that this type of transition has led to some jobs being lost and others created. “My key question is: What is the role of government? “Our belief is that we shouldn’t leave people to deal with this inevitable job transition on their own. We need to upskill our nation. We need to upskill the nation.