Matthew Lesh, IEA Head of Public Policy, has written for City AM on the incongruence of the provisions of the Online Safety Bill and the values of free speech and innovation that the Conservatives purport to represent.

“The Conservatives insist they are champions of free speech, with new protections coming in the Bill of Rights and higher education legislation. They claim they want to take advantage of Brexit by reducing the regulatory burden and limiting the power of unaccountable regulatory agencies. Yet this will all be undone by ushering in a new online censorship regime — that would barely have passed muster under New Labour let alone be expected to come from the Conservatives.”

“This Bill feeds into the narrative, put forward by Prime Minister’s internal critics, that the government is betraying the party’s values.”

Read the full article here.