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Starmer says government will legislate if tech companies don’t stop children using phones to take naked images – UK politics live | Politics
Starmer says government will legislate if tech companies don’t stop children using phones to take naked images
Keir Starmer has announced that tech companies must stop children from sending or receiving naked images of themselves, or the government will change the law.
In his speech, Starmer said:
One issue is the ability for children with phones to send and receive nude images.
For too long, people have been told that is simply the price of modern tech, that nothing can be done, that government is powerless, that parents just have to accept it.
I reject that completely, because tech should adapt to the needs of society, not the other way around.
That is why today I am calling on tech companies operating in this country to introduce device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images.
Because this is not an impossible challenge. These are some of the most innovative companies in the world and I believe they can solve it.
But if they choose not to, then we will act and we will change the law because when it comes to the safety of our children, standing by is not an option.
When Jess Phillips resigned as safeguarding minister last month, she criticised Starmer for not acting more quickly to implement this plan. She said she was pushing for this more than a year ago.
Key events
UK to be first country in world where it will be impossible for children to take naked pictures on their phones, Home Office says
The Home Office says the ban being proposed today to make it impossible for children to use their phones to take naked images of themselves or others would be a world first. In a news release it says:
In Britain will become the first country in the world where it is impossible for children to take, share or view naked pictures on their devices, the prime minister announced today in a speech at London Tech Week.
Under new plans, Big Tech companies like Apple and Google must activate built-in features or implement technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images for children.
This will prevent predators from being able to exploit and abuse victims through their devices, as well as stopping children from being able to access pornography. Adults will still be able to take, share or view nude content through an age verification process.
Now is the time for tech companies to step up and work with government to solve this horrific issue. If companies do not act within three months, the government will bring forward legislation to force them to activate the technology. This will include fines for companies. Nothing is off the table, and as a last resort we are exploring criminal liability for tech bosses who fail to comply.
In his speech Starmer cited the government’s response to Grok, when its AI tool was being used to allow people to produce non-consensual intimate images, as an example of how the government would stand up to tech companies.
He said:
Where technology poses a threat to our people, to our children, we will act quickly and firmly.
We saw that earlier this year with Grok. They allowed their tools to be used to create disgusting, explicit images.
So we took them on, and all tech companies should know if they fall short on their responsibility to keep people safe. We will act with the same decisiveness.
Starmer says government will legislate if tech companies don’t stop children using phones to take naked images
Keir Starmer has announced that tech companies must stop children from sending or receiving naked images of themselves, or the government will change the law.
In his speech, Starmer said:
One issue is the ability for children with phones to send and receive nude images.
For too long, people have been told that is simply the price of modern tech, that nothing can be done, that government is powerless, that parents just have to accept it.
I reject that completely, because tech should adapt to the needs of society, not the other way around.
That is why today I am calling on tech companies operating in this country to introduce device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images.
Because this is not an impossible challenge. These are some of the most innovative companies in the world and I believe they can solve it.
But if they choose not to, then we will act and we will change the law because when it comes to the safety of our children, standing by is not an option.
When Jess Phillips resigned as safeguarding minister last month, she criticised Starmer for not acting more quickly to implement this plan. She said she was pushing for this more than a year ago.
Starmer praised the tech entrepreneurs in his audience for their contribution to the UK’s tech investment record. (See 9.24am.)
Half of all European tech investment in this country – that’s a profound achievement and it belongs to so many people in this room.
But that hasn’t happened by accident. Each one of those investments is an endorsement of British talent, of British industry, and of the approach that Britain is taking, approach that has in no small part been shaped by so many people in this room and by the conversations that we’ve had in the last two years.
Starmer gives speech at start of London Tech Week
Keir Stamer is giving his speech, making the start of London Tech Week.
He began by saying the UK is uniquely placed to lead the world in the technological revolution. And it was a revolution “with the potential to transform lives, to strengthen communities, and create opportunities right across the country and a revolution that Britain is uniquely placed to lead”.
Starmer said:
Britain is the third-largest technology economy in the world. Our start-ups have raised close to half of all European investment in tech this year.
Children’s commissioner for England says restrictions on social media should cover 16 and 17-year-olds too
The Times this morning is reporting that Keir Starmer will soon announce a ban on “harmful” social media platforms for under-16s. (See 8.27am.) In their story, Max Kendix, Stefan Boscia and Oliver Wright say:
Those familiar with the proposals said the prime minister was looking at a “hybrid” system that would include elements of the Australian ban and the outlawing of specific features such as infinite scrolling, push notifications and autoplay.
One source claimed the proposals could have more “granular” age restrictions by limiting certain features and sites to different age groups rather than a blanket under-16s ban like in Australia.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, has urged the government to go further. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, she said she would like to see restrictions cover 16 and 17-year-olds too, and apply to gaming platforms as well as social media sites.
She said:
If we are genuinely seeking to safeguard children from harm, we cannot allow 16- and 17-year-olds to have lesser protection …
I am calling for all online services – not just social media platforms, but gaming sites and any platforms that make use of harmful features and functionalities – to be banned from accessing children, until they can prove that they are designed in a way that will protect children’s safety and wellbeing.
De Souza recently co-chaired a review for the government with Russell Viner, an adolescent health professor, that produced guidance for parents on screen use by under-5s. She and Viner are now producing for the government guidance on at what age children should get a smartphone.
In an interview on the Today programme this morning, she said that while children say they don’t like the principle of being banned from accessing social media, they also say that their social media use is bad for them, for example affecting their sleep, and they want help reducing it.
She said for the first time in six years she was “optimistic” about the government being ready to take action.
But children should not get the blame, she stressed. She told the programme:
[We should] ban the companies from having access to our children until they prove that they are actually worthy of them. If they’ve got these terrible algorithms, of course they should be banned.
I just want to frame it not as a ban on children – the children have done nothing wrong. We are protecting children by not allowing these companies to have access to them.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth ‘lacking in class’ when he launched anti-migration rant at D-day ceremony, minister says
Jacqui Smith, the skills minister, has argued that Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, lacked “class” when he used a speech at a D-day commemoration service to criticise European countries over their record on immigration.
As Ashifa Kassam reports, Hegseth’s speech has been condemned across Europe and beyond.
This morning Smith, who has been doing a media round, joined the chorus. Asked on LBC if Hegseth was right, she replied:
No, he’s not right, and no, I think it’s a bit lacking in class to raise it at a ceremony like that.
Smith said there had been “very big reductions” in net migration under Labour and “we will continue to take action on the things that I think people are really worried about, particularly those who are coming across the Channel in small boats.”
Keir Starmer to say ‘tech revolution must work for everyone’ in speech on AI
Good morning. Two weeks today, it seems more likely than not that Andy Burnham will be taking his seat as the new MP for Makerfield. A byelection win is not certain, but the campaign is definitely going his way. Keir Starmer has been saying he won’t just stand aside and let Burnham replace him as Labour leader, but these briefings are being received with a hefty dose of scepticism.
The unnamed minister quoted in today’s Times splash gives a more realistic guide to what is happening. They say:
Keir has entered his legacy era. The conversations are now all, ‘What is announceable in time before Makerfield?’
The Times says that one of these legacy ‘announceables’ will be a ban on “harmful” social media (ie, not all social media) for under-16s. The PM wants to announced that before the byelection, the paper says.
Starmer is also giving a speech on technology this morning. According to the extracts briefed in advance, he will the “tech revolution must work for everyone”. He will say:
No one doubts the huge potential of tech to change lives. But we have to decide who that change is for. This government’s choice is clear: the tech revolution must work for everyone, not just a privileged few.
We’re backing British businesses to lead the way, driving growth and investment that turns into more jobs and stronger communities. And we’re using tech to bring opportunity to every corner of the country – helping people into work, tackling inequalities, boosting skills and building a fairer future.
There was also a mini news announcement in the overnight briefing – but not one that will be remembered by anyone writing about Starmer’s legacy. He will say the Department for Work and Pensions is trialling what it calls an “AI work assistant” to help the jobless find work. No 10 says:
The tool will provide a 24/7 resource for people, offering guidance on topics such as career development, job searching and applications. The trial will last for around three months, to gather data and feedback on how people are using the service so that it can be adapted and improved as necessary.
You can access the tool here, although you will need a GOV.UK login.
There may be other news in the speech too.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer is giving a speech on technology and AI.
10am: Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson and deputy leader, holds a press conference on tackling energy bills.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a visit in London where she will be speaking to the media.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
1pm: Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, speaks at the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers union conference.
1.15pm: Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, gives a speech at the AI adoption summit.
2.30pm: Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
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The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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