Latest news with #Westminster
The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Unless you see it, you can't believe how bad it is': the peer demanding a minister for porn
When the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin arrived for a meeting with the the science and technology secretary, Peter Kyle, earlier this year she startled him by laying out an array of pornographic images across his desk. 'They were screengrabs showing little girls, their hair in bunches, and massive, grown men grabbing little girls' throats,' she says. She had selected images which appeared to depict child abuse, and yet were easily and legally available on a popular website. 'Unless you see it, you can't quite believe how bad it is.' The minister appeared shocked and upset by the images, she recalls, so she quickly tidied them away and later shredded them. Bertin has noticed that her desire to talk frequently and openly about extreme pornography is not shared by all her Westminster colleagues. 'I've definitely seen people swerve at lunch, not wanting to sit next to me for fear of what they're going to hear coming from my mouth,' she told fellow delegates at the launch meeting of her pornography taskforce this week, prompting a flutter of sympathetic laughter. Since being appointed by the former prime minister Rishi Sunak to lead an independent review into the regulation of online pornography in December 2023, Bertin has observed how a double taboo has made most politicians extremely reluctant to engage. Some simply find the subject hugely embarrassing; others stay silent because they do not wish to appear prudish by criticising the proliferation of extreme and often illegal pornographic material online. She is frustrated by this reticence. 'You can't leave the pitch on this stuff just because you're worried about being accused of being too strait-laced,' she says. The government needs urgently to appoint a minister for porn, she recommends, to ensure that the issue gets the attention it deserves, rather than being passed reluctantly between the Home Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. A former adviser to David Cameron, Bertin has gathered cross-party support for her work and says she emails Keir Starmer so regularly about the issue that she has 'practically become his pen pal' (if you can have a pen pal who delegates to officials the responsibility of replying). 'We're really British about it so we don't want to have a graphic conversation about sex and porn,' she says, in an interview in the Westminster office she shares with several other peers. 'But you've got to shout about it as loudly as possible. The reason why we've got into this mess is because nobody has really wanted to talk about it.' By mess she means a situation whereby online pornography (which is viewed by an estimated 13.8 million UK adults every month) is not regulated to the same degree as pornography watched in cinemas or videos, despite the fact that videos have been redundant for decades and vanishingly few people now visit cinemas to watch porn. The absence of scrutiny has created an environment where much of the content created is, she says, 'violent, degrading, abusive, and misogynistic'. She also means a situation where a member of her own party had to resign after twice watching porn (perplexingly tractor-themed) on his phone, as he whiled away time on the green benches in the House of Commons. 'People have slightly lost the plot on porn. Would someone 20 years ago have just taken Playboy into the Commons, and had it lying on their lap? It just shows what an extraordinary place we've got to,' she says. 'You can do what you like in your private life – I don't have a problem with that – but you can't watch porn in the House of Commons, and you shouldn't be watching porn at your desk. There's a place for these things and it's not in the office.' Her review, published in February, made 32 recommendations. Last week the first of these became government policy, when officials announced that pornography depicting strangulation would be made illegal. Her new taskforce of 17 people, bringing together representatives from the police, the advertising industry, anti-trafficking organisations and violence against women charities, will focus on how to ensure harmful online content is better regulated, trying to bring parity between the scrutiny of offline and online content. She pays tribute to the 'hugely innovative side' of the porn industry, which has long driven technological advances in webcams and internet speeds, fuelled by the sector's enormous capacity to turn profit, but she has not invited any representatives on to the taskforce, wary of anything that might let the industry 'mark their own homework'. This week Ofcom announced that major online providers, including the UK's most popular pornography site, Pornhub, had agreed to implement stronger age-verification measures in compliance with the Online Safety Act, to prevent under-18s from accessing adult material. Those platforms that do not comply with the measures face being fined 10% of global turnover or being blocked in the UK. Ofcom is also responsible for monitoring whether sites distributing user-generated pornography are protecting UK viewers from encountering illegal material involving child sexual abuse and extreme content (showing rape, bestiality and necrophilia, for example). However, other forms of harmful pornography that are regulated in physical formats are not subject to similar restrictions online. It is this grey, unscrutinised area that Bertin's panel will focus on, as well as calling for better processes to respond to stolen content, working out how people depicted in pornographic videos can request that the clips be removed from sites, and how to build safety mechanisms into AI tools that create sexually explicit content. Officials at the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) guided her through short clips of extreme material to help her understand the nature of easily available harmful content. She remains disturbed by the material she saw – content designed to appear to be child sexual abuse, set in children's bedrooms – roles played by young girls, who may be over 18 but are acting as children. 'The titles are very problematic, things like: 'Daddy's going to come home and give his daughter a good seeing to' or 'Oops I've gone too far and now she's dead' or 'Kidnap and kill a hooker.'' This content would be prohibited by the BBFC in the offline world, but is unregulated online. During research for her review, she met representatives from global tech companies, and told them how when Volvo invented the three-point safety belt they gifted the patent to the rest of the industry because staff realised the innovation was so vital to raising safety standards. 'My pitch was that they have a duty and responsibility to double down on trying to get technology that can clean up these situations, and they should share that technology,' she says. 'Taylor Swift can whip a song off a website as soon as anyone tries to pirate it. There's no reason why the firms can't come up with technology to sort this out.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Posing for photographs, she edges away from a watercolour of Margaret Thatcher hung on the wall by one of her colleagues. 'Let's do it without Thatcher in the background. That's not my doing by the way – I share the office,' she says semi-apologetically, before rapidly adding: 'I mean I love Thatcher, obviously.' But she may be making an important distinction. In a 1970 Woman's Hour interview, Thatcher said the rise of pornography was a 'frightening' manifestation of a newly permissive society that she believed was undermining family life. Bertin describes herself as a liberal conservative and wants to be clear she is neither anti-porn nor running a moral crusade. 'Consenting adults should be able to do what they want; I have no desire to stop any kind of sexual freedom. But restricting people from seeing a woman being choked, called a whore, and having several men stamp on her – for example – is not ending someone's sexual freedom. This is the kind of content we want to end.'
The Sun
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Keir Starmer's latest U-turn on benefits is the worst of all worlds and leaves PM at a major crossroads
Country first? KEIR Starmer's capitulation to his own party is the worst of all worlds. No meaningful reform of the out-of-control benefits system will happen and most of Labour's planned £5billion savings won't be made. 1 Whacking tax rises to fill the black hole now look inevitable. It has also sent a signal that the PM — despite his huge majority — can't deliver any serious public spending cuts. After this debacle, how will he reform the NHS or slash the civil service Blob? His rebels will now demand an end to the two-child benefit cap, too. As for taking on ludicrous wage demands from doctors and other public sector workers — forget it. The PM has now made major U-turns on winter fuel payments, grooming gangs and benefits. Presumably under pressure from his leftie comrades, Sir Keir yesterday also said he now deeply regrets his previous claim on mass immigration that it risked Britain becoming 'an island of strangers'. Except that it was probably one of the few occasions where most ordinary folk AGREED with him. After just 12 months, the PM is at a major crossroads. Elected on his promise to put country before party, he has this week done the complete opposite. Appeasing his virtue-signalling MPs may get him through difficult days in Westminster. But for the rest of us it spells very bad news indeed. Petty crime JUST last month chief constables begged for more cash. Without it, they warned, the country would be overwhelmed by criminals. Really? As we reveal today, they have plenty of time and money to investigate absurd 'hate crimes' — from singing Flower of Scotland at an English railway station, to questioning if a person's designer clothes are fake. Can we suggest senior cops and the Government stop hitting up the taxpayer, and instead save cash by scrapping inquiries into so-called non-crime hate incidents. It might even free them up to catch a shoplifter or two. Booze & cheers That would have dealt a savage blow to struggling horse-racing venues and lower league football clubs — and punished punters. Ditch the Nanny-state plan to outlaw booze adverts, too.
Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Meet Brian Leishman, the leftwinger holding Keir Starmer's feet to the fire
Sir Keir Starmer has been prime minister for less than a year but his government's retreat from its own proposed welfare reforms is the kind of political humiliation rarely visited upon any government so early in its tenure, let alone upon one that won a 174-seat majority at last July's general election. Across Britain, however, newly elected Labour MPs made it clear to the prime minister and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, that they were not, in their view, sent to Westminster to preside over cuts to welfare spending. The government's decision to limit changes to disability benefits to new claimants — protecting those who currently claim up to £110 a week to assist them with the costs of their physical or mental difficulties — may satisfy some parliamentary rebels but many others remain implacably opposed to any changes in welfare eligibility. 'The concessions have turned an absolute horrific policy into an awful policy,' said Brian Leishman, the left-wing firebrand elected as the Labour MP for Alloa & Grangemouth last year. 'The government has got to pull it, and get around the table with charities and others and devise a proper welfare system designed for people who need it.' 'There is no way I will be voting for the sort of two-tier welfare system this will create', he said. Leishman overturned an SNP majority of more than 12,000 votes as Labour swept to victory north of the border, taking 36 seats from the SNP. Although Labour had been confident the party could take a swathe of central belt seats from the nationalists, Alloa & Grangemouth was considered the kind of seat that could fall to Starmer's party only in exceptional circumstances. As it transpired, however, the election was precisely that kind of occasion and Leishman took the seat with a swing of 29.3 per cent. His victory, party insiders concede, was 'not expected'. Since entering the Commons Leishamn has emerged as the highest-profile figure within a reanimated and reinvigorated Scottish left. 'Brian has been a brilliant MP. He has fought tirelessly for his constituents, stood up for real Labour values and be unafraid to oppose the worst aspects of the Starmer regime. He is exactly the type of campaigning MP people want to see,' Neil Findlay, the former Labour MSP, said. Leishman, who is the only new Labour MP from Scotland to have joined the left-wing Scottish Campaign for Socialism group, also enjoyed the support of Richard Leonard, the former leader of the Scottish Labour Party. Campaigning for Leishman last year Leonard pointedly asked voters to 'ensure that the next Labour government has a Scottish socialist among its ranks, fighting for the many not the few'. The rebuke to Starmer was overt rather than merely implied. While most newly elected MPs struggle to make a name for themselves, the combination of Leishman's left-wing credentials and the fate of the Grangemouth oil refinery in his constituency gave him the kind of platform few of his Scottish colleagues — most of whom continue to labour in some measure of obscurity — enjoyed. 'There could have been many more Labour MPs like Brian in parliament had they not been blocked from being selected by the people, or more accurately person, who controls Labour selections in Scotland,' Findlay said. MPs who win surprising victories often surprise party managers. 'The only thing we knew about him was he was a golfer,' said one Westminster colleague referring to Leishman's previous career as a golf professional. 'Was it a surprise that he turned out to be a firebrand leftie? Yes it was. He's not disliked, and has a tendency to pick up fashionable causes, even some he appears to have little background in.' Another Scottish Labour MP notes that Leishman's higher-than-typical profile has irked many of his colleagues. 'He was the first Scottish Labour MP outside of the ministers to get a profile, and not in a good way so he's not massively popular in the Scottish Labour group.' Leishman, who says his ideal dinner party guests would be Tony Benn and Jack Nicklaus, is unabashed. 'I didn't join the Labour Party to impoverish people.' Although a dozen Scottish Labour backbenchers signalled their opposition to the planned welfare reform that would have trimmed £5 billion from a disability bill that is expected to be more than £60 billion a year by the end of the decade, few have been as public or forthright in their criticisms as Leishman. That has allowed him to become a champion of the Labour left and a figure of considerable suspicion for the party's right wing and those still loyal to the prime minister. The impact of the welfare rebellion on next year's Scottish parliament elections is not yet easily estimated. Anas Sarwar, Labour Scottish leader, insists that 'everyone' favours some of the welfare reform, pointing to the fact that disability claims are higher in Scotland than England. Yet the SNP senses the opportunity to embarrass Labour on this issue, insisting there will be no change to looser, more generous, eligibility criteria for disability payments in Scotland. This remains the case despite the fact that Scottish Fiscal Commission indicated this week that ministers face a 'really challenging period', with spending on social security forecast to grow from just over £6.1 billion in 2024-25 to more than £9.4 billion by 2030-31. Increased spending on welfare and the NHS inevitably means less money will be available for other causes and priorities. For Leishman and his newly emboldened backbench allies, however, rebellion is a taste that once acquired may easily become a habit. Starmer's concessions to his backbenchers are, for many, both too little too late and a taste of controversies to come.
Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Kebab king's SME outfit ‘lobbies for big tobacco'
A t a Middle Eastern restaurant nestled under railway arches not far from Westminster on Monday, senior Labour figures gathered for an evening fundraiser. As the drinks flowed, Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, Lord Mandelson, the Labour peer and British ambassador to the United States, and Darren Jones, a Treasury minister, gave speeches. The reception was supported by SME4Labour, a relatively obscure business group founded by Ibrahim Dogus, a Kurdish restaurateur dubbed the 'Kebab king' who has cultivated an extraordinary hotline granting businesses access to Labour's top table. Dogus, 44, best known as the founder of the British Kebab Awards — dubbed the Oscars for the doner — also runs SME4Labour, which has convinced the Labour Party's great and good to turn up to its events, which business figures can pay thousands of pounds to attend.
Times
15 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Revealed: Palestine Action's map of UK targets
Palestine Action has drawn up a new list of about 150 government buildings, military bases, financial institutions and insurance firms to target in attacks. The organisation, which is due to be proscribed as a terrorist group, has urged its followers to damage the sites by smashing windows and equipment, spraying blood-red paint and pouring concrete into water pipes. The 148 UK targets are included on a map the group uploaded to its website. Alongside each target is a reason for its inclusion. For example, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development HQ in Westminster is there due to 'awarding unmanned aerial vehicle contracts'. The Ministry of Defence's Whitehall premises has also been designated a target due to the same reasoning. The map highlights pilot training schools at RAF Cranwell and RAF Barkston Heath, both in Lincolnshire, and RAF Valle in Anglesey, north Wales. Allianz, one of the world's largest insurance firms, has 11 UK locations on the list and has been featured due to the company 'investing in, and providing insurance for, Israel's biggest weapons producer'. BNY Mellon, one of the largest custodian banks, has six locations listed because it 'invests in excess of $12 million in Elbit Systems'. It is not clear how the list has been drawn up but many of the targets are supposedly connected to Elbit, the military technology company. Shannon airport, in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, is also featured, but no reason is given for its inclusion. The site includes a link to Palestine Action's 'underground manual', which states: 'It's time to pick your target. Head to our website to find a list of secondary and primary targets who enable and profit from the Israeli weapons industry in Britain. Making your job to pick one a slightly easier process 'Each is just as culpable as the other, and applying pressure to them is key to breaking the links which sustain Israel's arms trade. It might be simpler to pick a target based on your locality, making it easier to plan, conduct the recces and save some transport costs!' The guide includes various ways to attack sites, such as smashing windows and equipment with sledgehammers. Elbit has faced most of Palestine Action's wrath, its sites repeatedly targeted at a cost of millions of pounds to the company. Last year Palestine Action carried out almost daily protests at Elbit sites. One such incident in Bristol involved smashing through a factory fence with a prison van and damaging the building with sledgehammers. Two police officers and a security guard were injured. In March analysis by The Sunday Times found that since its foundation in July 2020, Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for 356 direct actions on British-based defence and engineering firms, banks, insurance companies, estate agents and property companies, accountancy firms, universities and local government buildings the group claimed have links to Israeli defence firms. The Times can also reveal the organisation's close links to the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), believed by British officials to have direct ties to Iran. Since the announcement about Palestine Action's proscription, the IHRC has repeatedly posted on social media its support. IHRC was criticised by William Shawcross's independent review of Prevent as an 'Islamist group ideologically aligned with the Iranian regime' that has a history of 'extremist links and terrorist sympathies'. Shawcross said senior figures had espoused support for violent jihad and 'advocated for the extraction and eradication of 'Zionists''. Furthermore, Palestine Action has ties to Cage, the Islamist group that once praised Jihadi John as a 'beautiful young man'. The two groups released a joint statement condemning the government's counterextremism definition in March 2024. During the trial of the 'Elbit Eight' in 2023, Palestine Action and Cage ran a joint campaign to encourage demonstrations outside the trial and for supporters to attend court hearings. Palestine Action has used IHRC annual Quds Day marches as a recruiting tool for the group and the group's co-founder Huda Ammori has spoken at IHRC rallies. When The Times approached the IHRC about whether it funded Palestine Action, it said: 'While we support the aims and objectives of Palestine Action — namely, opposition to the crimes of Israel — we have not provided them with any financial or material support.' Regarding Shawcross's description, it said: 'Shawcross's assertion that IHRC is 'ideologically aligned' with Iran is not evidence. It is opinion, and a deeply prejudiced one at that.' Palestine Action was approached for comment.
