Culture secretary rejects claims changes to online safety bill have made it weaker – UK politics live | Politics

England and Wales are actually minority Christian nations, based on the 2021 census, which additionally exhibits that Leicester and Birmingham have change into the primary UK cities to have “minority majorities, my colleagues Robert Sales space, Pamela Duncan and Carmen Aguilar García report.

The story relies on ONS census information out there here.

On Thursday final week Mark Harper, the transport secretary, held what each side described as a optimistic assembly with Mick Lynch, the RMT common secretary. They had been speaking in regards to the rail strikes and afterwards Lynch told journalists that it was not clear to his union who had the authority to barter a pay settlement. The person rail firms, and the Rail Supply Group (which represents them), had been each saying they might not have interaction in collective bargaining, he mentioned.

Lynch mentioned Harper had provided to ship him a letter clarifying who precisely did have the authority to barter a settlement.

Harper has now launched the text of his letter to Lynch. It’s quick and it does probably not handle Lynch’s questions in any respect, however Harper is promising an extra assembly, in addition to “higher data sharing”. He says:

My function is to facilitate and assist – not negotiate. Negotiations will proceed between commerce unions and employers, however I can see scope for settlement.

Let me set out how I believe we will help assist that. Higher data sharing between the rail minister, commerce unions and people main the negotiations on behalf of the employers can velocity up this course of. We’ll quickly convene an extra assembly to assist advance, with the great religion of all events, settlement discussions and progress on this dispute.

Good morning. The Rishi Sunak cupboard could also be filled with faces from the David Cameron, Theresa Could, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss administrations, however it isn’t all continuity and in some methods Sunak is revising insurance policies pursued by his predecessors. We’ve obtained an instance at this time, with adjustments to the net security invoice.

The invoice, which has been years within the planning and which was published by Nadine Dorries when she was culture secretary, would lengthen vital new controls over social media firms. It goes additional than what has been tried in most different western democracies. The invoice accomplished nearly all its Commons levels within the spring, but it was shelved as Johnson needed to resign, amid issues that it restricted freedom of speech an excessive amount of and within the data {that a} new PM would possibly choose a special method.

He does, and this morning Michelle Donelan, the tradition secretary, has introduced vital adjustments. Right here is the Division for Digital, Tradition, Media and Sport’s summary. And right here is my colleague Dan Milmo’s in a single day story.

The unique invoice targeted closely on a class of content material deemed “authorized however dangerous” (posts about suicide, for instance). The invoice didn’t ban this content material, nevertheless it imposed strict restrictions on how social media firms must deal with it (the total particulars are in a briefing here), and that led to claims that this is able to quantity to a de facto ban, as a result of the social media firms would select to not take any dangers and take away the content material anyway.

The “authorized however dangerous” provisions have now been eliminated, and changed with plans which might be meant to realize an analogous impact whereas trying much less like censorship. Ian Russell, who has been a campaigner for stricter controls since his daughter Molly killed herself after viewing giant quantities of content material associated to suicide and despair on social media, mentioned he was glad the federal government was lastly bringing the invoice again to parliament.

However he mentioned the elimination of the “authorized however dangerous” clauses meant the invoice was being watered down. He instructed the Immediately programme:

There are two feelings this morning and one is a few aid, not simply on my half however on the a part of many dad and mom who sadly discover themselves in related circumstances, that eventually that is shifting ahead.

There’s been a rising sense of frustration amongst that neighborhood of bereaved dad and mom and households that not sufficient is being completed, in order that’s the excellent news.

However, as ever with these items, the satan might be within the element and so it’s very onerous to grasp that one thing that was vital as lately as July, when the invoice would have had a 3rd studying within the Commons – and was included within the invoice, this authorized however dangerous content material – it’s very onerous to grasp why that abruptly can’t be there …

I don’t see how one can see the elimination of an entire clause as something aside from a watering down.

However Donelan claims the invoice has been made “stronger”. And, interviews this morning, she mentioned the protections for kids within the invoice weren’t being watered down. She instructed the Immediately programme:

Let’s be completely clear. So that you talked about younger individuals and youngsters – nothing is getting watered down or taken out in terms of youngsters. We’re including further in, so there isn’t any change to youngsters.

And she or he has posted this on Twitter.

Right here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Rishi Sunak chairs cupboard.

10am: Martin Lewis, the patron champion and founding father of the MoneySavingExpert web site, offers proof to the Commons tradition committee at 10am on misinformation.

11.30am: Downing Avenue holds a foyer briefing.

3pm: Andrew Bailey, governor of the Financial institution of England, offers proof to the Lords financial affairs committee.

Afternoon: Olena Zelenska, the primary girl of Ukraine, offers a speech to MPs and friends in parliament.

I attempt to monitor the feedback beneath the road (BTL) however it’s not possible to learn all of them. If in case you have a direct query, do embody “Andrew” in it someplace and I’m extra prone to discover it. I do attempt to reply questions and, if they’re of common curiosity, I’ll submit the query and reply above the road (ATL), though I can’t promise to do that for everybody.

If you wish to appeal to my consideration shortly, it’s most likely higher to make use of Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

Alternatively, you possibly can e mail me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com