Jess Phillips slams government ‘inaction’ on online safety in resignation letter

Keir Starmer’s government has failed to stop online child abuse by not acting quickly enough, an outgoing minister has said.

Quitting the government, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told the prime minister that she had “given up believing” action would be taken on a new law aimed at preventing online exploitation.

Phillips said she had expected an announcement on the matter in March and expressed doubt that it would happen in June, despite a “promise” being made.

The Birmingham Yardley MP is the second figure to resign from Starmer’s government today.

She said the scandal around Peter Mandelson had “made Number 10 kick into gear” around safeguarding issues.

Mandelson left government after files released by US authorities revealed the extent of his relationship with late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile.

The row has compromised Downing Street’s authority, with the prime minister’s judgement called into question.

He and his team have said the full facts were not known when Mandelson was appointed as UK ambassador to the USA.

In her resignation letter, Phillips said the crisis provided an opportunity “to make advancements for women and girls and so demands were made and some were met”.

However, she said that while Starmer was “a good man fundamentally”, the government’s “desire not to have an argument means we rarely make an argument, leaving opportunities for progress stalled and delayed”.

On efforts to tackle online child sexual exploitation, she said: “Over a year ago I presented solutions, long worked on by brilliant civil servants that would end the ability for children in the UK to take naked images of themselves.

“Ninety-one per cent of online child sex abuse is self-generated by children groomed, tricked and exploited in to abuse. The technology exists to stop children being able to take naked images of themselves.

“We could make this possible on every phone and device in the country. We could stop this abuse. It has taken me a year to get you to agree to even threaten to legislate in this space. Not legislate, just threaten. This is the definition of incremental change. Nothing bold about it.

“The announcement was meant to be in March, I'm still on a promise this will happen in June, I've given up believing it. How many children were left without a safety net in the time we dilly dallied and worried about tech bosses?”

A wave of government resignations started hours after Starmer gave a speech designed to reboot his government after bruising election results in Scotland, Wales and England.

On Monday Starmer said “incremental change won’t cut it” as he vowed to “face up to the big challenges” the UK faces.

He said: “People need hope. We will face up to the big challenges and we will make the big arguments.

“The Labour case that only Labour values and Labour policies can ensure our country not only weathers these storms but emerges stronger and fairer.”