Jun 8, 2026 · 19 min · 9 segments
With the Makerfield by-election next week, Keir Starmer is in the business of legacy-building. In a speech this morning to coincide with London Tech Week, the Prime Minister announced a clampdown on…
Tim ShipmanGuest
James HealeHost
And is Keir Starmer ever going to find the money for the Ministry of Defense? So James, it's London Tech Week.
Ever since the white heat of technology, the Labor Party has tried to forge a path of the future and all of that.
We're, we're now in the realms of reigning in tech, and the Prime Minister, for it is still Keir Starmer, has made a speech.
Well, it may have been looking forward, but it was very much drawing from the past in that this was the big top line announcement that he wants to ban social media usage for under 16s, drawing very much on a ban that's been introduced in December in Australia and trying to look to that for the model as a way of getting children off social media.
But of course, sadly, that's been floated many times back to Theresa May, I think of the successive conservatives, and of course, has been doing the rounds in Labor circles for a while now.
Initially, it seemed Keir Starmer was not going to consider this, but his mind has been changed in recent months.
What they're trying to restrict, as I understand it, is the ability of children to send nude images of-
Now, if you remember back when Jess Phillips resigned, uh, from the government, she, her excoriating resignation letter was all about how she's been precisely [laughs] trying to do this and basically attacking Starmer for not doing it.
But classic Starmer, it's not, there's no law coming, is there? He's, he's basically said to them, "Do something or else."
So he said, you've got three months, and if in three months' time action has not been taken to crack down, there'll be two things, one of which potentially legislation to make penalties be paid for this, and second of all, the thing we've all been talking about for years, which is making tech bosses criminally liable for the, the sending and distribution of, of those images of under 18 as children being published online.
And so this was a big announcement, and I have to say, it smacks of what we discussed a few weeks ago, Tim, which is when we talked about how after the local elections, he came out and he said, "I will nationalize British steel subject to terms and conditions."
Subject to the rules, and it's very much like that in that people were expecting it to much bigger, but he said, "I'm not gonna act for three months." And frankly, I look for the question the Labor Party are asking today is, will he still be there?
And is Keir Starmer ever going to find the money for the Ministry of Defense? So James, it's London Tech Week.
Ever since the white heat of technology, the Labor Party has tried to forge a path of the future and all of that.
We're, we're now in the realms of reigning in tech, and the Prime Minister, for it is still Keir Starmer, has made a speech.
Well, it may have been looking forward, but it was very much drawing from the past in that this was the big top line announcement that he wants to ban social media usage for under 16s, drawing very much on a ban that's been introduced in December in Australia and trying to look to that for the model as a way of getting children off social media.
But of course, sadly, that's been floated many times back to Theresa May, I think of the successive conservatives, and of course, has been doing the rounds in Labor circles for a while now.
Initially, it seemed Keir Starmer was not going to consider this, but his mind has been changed in recent months.
What they're trying to restrict, as I understand it, is the ability of children to send nude images of-
Now, if you remember back when Jess Phillips resigned, uh, from the government, she, her excoriating resignation letter was all about how she's been precisely [laughs] trying to do this and basically attacking Starmer for not doing it.
But classic Starmer, it's not, there's no law coming, is there? He's, he's basically said to them, "Do something or else."
So he said, you've got three months, and if in three months' time action has not been taken to crack down, there'll be two things, one of which potentially legislation to make penalties be paid for this, and second of all, the thing we've all been talking about for years, which is making tech bosses criminally liable for the, the sending and distribution of, of those images of under 18 as children being published online.
And so this was a big announcement, and I have to say, it smacks of what we discussed a few weeks ago, Tim, which is when we talked about how after the local elections, he came out and he said, "I will nationalize British steel subject to terms and conditions."
Subject to the rules, and it's very much like that in that people were expecting it to much bigger, but he said, "I'm not gonna act for three months." And frankly, I look for the question the Labor Party are asking today is, will he still be there?
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3 of 5
Starmer Privately Opposes Full Ban
Behind closed doors, Starmer's ban stance wavers.
Head-in-Hands Defense Moment
Defense dilemma leaves PM burying his face.
Cabinet ‘Whip-Round’ For Cash
Cabinet whip-round reveals deeper budget strains today.
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