Shabana Mahmood has suggested she will water down indefinite leave to remain reforms amid her ongoing row with Angela Rayner.
After the Home Secretary announced a sweeping set of reforms to make it harder to acquire ILR, she faced furious backlash from her own party – spearheaded by Ms Rayner.
Today, Ms Mahmood has appeared to buckle to growing demand within her party to ease up on the application of the asylum crackdown.
She said: “I know that, throughout our consultation process, some have said elements of these reforms are not fair.
“To that, let me say this. We will come to a position that balances fairness for those who cam ehere legally, and fairness to British citizens across this country”.
Her Cabinet colleague, when she was on the backbenchers, branded the proposed reforms “un-British” and “unfair” for migrant care workers and called for the policy to be amended.
The Housing Secretary doubled down on her previous critical comments ahead of Conference, raising some eyebrows over the state of Andy Burnham’s Cabinet cohesion.
Earlier today, the Prime Minister refused to side with either of his juniors, insisting he was both on “Team Angela and Team Shabana”.
‘Slap in the face!’ Shabana Mahmood accused of ‘caving into pressure from Angela Rayner and open-border MPs’ over watering down ILR
Shabana Mahmood has been accused of “caving into pressure” from Angela Rayner after the Home Secretary suggested she was set to water down her migrant reforms.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Shabana Mahmood has caved in to pressure from Angela Rayner and her open borders MPs and will shred her own plans to reform indefinite leave to remain.
“This is a slap in the face to British taxpayers who will have to subsidise low-skilled, low wage migrants, who the Government admit will cost at least £10billion.
“Low wage and no wage migrants will now be allowed to stay forever. Shabana Mahmood spent last year pretending to be tough – but now she has capitulated.
“What’s more, she has opened new routes into the UK – supposedly for Afghan women and Palestinians. We all know that with the ever-expanding ECHR articles, it won’t just be these immigrants but all their extended families too – at huge expense to the British taxpayer.
“This comes at a time when 20,000 illegal immigrants have already entered the UK so far this year.
“Only the Conservatives have a plan to end mass low-skilled migration for good and leave the ECHR so we deport all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival.
“We will also ensure ILR takes 10 years and is only given to those making a real economic contribution. Everyone else who came on a work visa should leave when it expires.”
‘F**k sake, Angela!’ Labour MP up in arms as Housing Secretary causes internal party rift
A Labour MP is up in arms as the Angela Rayner caused an internal party rift over Shabana Mahmood’s briefing.
The Housing Secretary turned heads after doubling down on her historic criticism of the Home Secretary’s migrant reforms.
“F**k sake Angela,” one Labour MP told Politico. “We’re all glad you’re back, but don’t be a d**k.”
Shabana Mahmood promises migrant reforms will ‘balance fairness’
Shabana Mahmood has vowed her migration reforms will “come to a position that balances fairness”.
Speaking before MPs at her keynote speech in Liverpool today, she said: “I know that, throughout our consultation process, some have said elements of these reforms are not fair.
“To that, let me say this: We will come to a position that balances fairness for those who came here legally, and fairness to British citizens across this country.
“Fairness cannot end at our borders. It must extend to every street in this country.”
Quarter of refugees to be Afghan women and girls fleeing persecution, says Shabana Mahmood
A quarter of refugees to be Afghan women and girls fleeing persecution, Shabana Mahmood said.
Shabana Mahmood is addressing supporters at Labour’s Autumn Conference in Liverpool in her keynote speech.
She said: “We will take vulnerable refugees from across the world and give them the chance of a new and better life here in Britain with the first arrivals this year.
“I am proud to say that around a quarter will be Afghan women and girls fleeing persecution under the Taliban.”
Britain should ‘live up to their international obligations’, Shabana Mahmood tells conference
Shabana Mahmood has said Britain should “live up to its international obligations” this afternoon.
Speaking in Liverpool, she said there was “nothing fair” about a lack of control at UK’s borders.
Ed Miliband said he was not ‘pitching for associate membership’ of the EU in Labour conference speech
Ed Miliband said he was not “pitching for associate membership” of the EU when he told the Labour conference the UK’s future lay in a deeper relationship with the bloc.
Speaking at a fringe event at the conference in Liverpool, the Foreign Secretary said: “I was at the EU informal foreign ministers’ meeting in Ireland at the beginning of September and round the table you had the foreign ministers meeting of Ukraine, Canada, Iceland that had just voted narrowly not to begin accession talks, and the UK and indeed Norway.
“And I think we remarked around the table that there was a sort of wider grouping.
“I think it does go to the (Mark) Carney agenda, by the way, which is countries working together, united by values, by alliances, on a whole range of issues.
“So, I’m certainly not pitching for associate membership, but I think there are ways that we can work together.”
John Healey offered ‘next to nothing to defuse the benefits bomb’, says TaxPayers’ Alliance
Responding to John Healey’s speech at the Labour Party conference, John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “The Chancellor offered next to nothing to defuse the benefits bomb sitting under Britain’s economy.
“The plans he did announce are little more than taxpayer-funded make-work schemes and bungs to trade unions dressed up as welfare and work reforms, all the while refusing to acknowledge the damage done to businesses and employment by his predecessor.
“If the chancellor is serious about getting young people back into work, he needs to reduce the burdens on businesses and cut welfare spending.”
John Healey concludes first Labour conference speech as Chancellor
To end his first Labour conference speech as Chancellor, John Healey said: “Good work, fresh hope, a new age of industry, and the solidarity that has already carried this country forward.
“A country that can hope again, a country that will hope again, earned by Labour, delivered for Britain.”
London should not shoulder the economic burden of growth alone, says John Healey
Mr Healey said: “Growth doesn’t just happen, we have to work for it. We have to create the conditions for it and without growth there is no social democracy. You can’t fund ends without the means. That’s the lesson for our generation.
“Labour isn’t just here to cut the cake in a different way, we have to bake a bigger cake and make sure it’s fairly shared.
“So, whether it’s the cost of business or the cost of living, the only long-term answer is growth, good growth in every postcode, a dual mission from the Treasury and No 10 North.
“London, the powerhouse of Britain’s economy for so long, should not shoulder the economic burden alone.
“We need growth generated in more places, we need wealth created in more places and I want our government decisions and our policies to bring new levels of confidence, investment and yes, profits, in British businesses.
“Because it is businesses that will create this country’s wealth and jobs and growth.”
Rolls-Royce to invest extra £300m into its British factories
Chancellor John Healey has confirmed that iconic British manufacturer Rolls-Royce will invest £300million into the UK.
Speaking at Labour Party Conference, Mr Healey said the funding would go to its manufacturing bases in Derby, Bristol, Glasgow, Warwickshire and Rotherham.
Chancellor John Healey added that the £300million investment would be invested in its British factories.
He highlighted how industrialisation has boosted Rolls-Royce’s Derby factory, which produces nuclear reactors.
Mr Healey added: “Conference, this is the new age of industrialisation. This is the new confidence in Britain.
Lit by this Government, driven forward by business. So, don’t tell me it’s not possible to create a new age of British industry.
“Don’t tell me it’s not possible to have good growth in every postcode. And don’t tell me that people can’t hope again.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
John Healey announces expansion of local apprenticeships service
It will operate like “football scouts for apprenticeships”, the chancellor has said.
Mr Healey said: “Today I want to announce a down payment on Alan Milburn’s work, a local apprenticeships service expanded to more places, led by mayors, targeted at these young people, delivering thousands more apprenticeships for these young people.
“With local teams, a bit like football scouts for apprenticeships, local teams who will go to local firms that have never taken on a trainee and say: we’ll help you do it. Who will go to the youngsters who’ve been out of work and say: we’ve got a place for you.
“Led by mayors because it’s the mayor that knows their areas best.
“They know which firms are hiring, which colleges are delivering and we know which estates have been left behind… Every mayor will have the chance to do it, backed by an extra £100m fully funded by savings from the DWP.”
Slashing ballooning benefits bill falls on Labour, says John Healey
John Healey has addressed the ballooning benefits bill, warning it risks spiralling further out of control.
Mr Healey said: “Our social security system must always be there for those who can never work.
“But for everyone else, benefits should be a bridge to work, to wider participation, to a better life, not a trap that people can’t escape.
“And conference, it is simply not progressive to allow a bigger and a bigger benefits bill and a system which offers but doesn’t offer a future.
“So once again, as a Labour Government it falls to us. And this is more than just an economic must, it’s a moral duty.
“I refuse to write off a million young people like the Tories have done.”
Britains national debt an ‘assault on our common sense’, says John Healey
Speaking on Britain’s debt, Mr Healey said: “It’s the money that we can’t spend on the NHS, on schools, on housing, on social care, on policing our streets, on controlling our borders, on defending our country.
“And I tell you these levels of debt are an assault on our common sense. They’re an affront to our values.
“That’s where the Prime Minister and I are in lockstep that we will meet the fiscal rules, that we will maintain control of Britain’s finances.
“But you know, it’s not just the debt that the Tories have left us over the decades. As Andy has argued, this country has seen political power centralised, economic power privatised, Britain deindustrialised.
“The result today? Too many people today feel Britain hasn’t been working for them, for their family, for their area.”
John Healey reveals he is wearing a tie signed by Gordon Brown for his first speech as Labour’s Chancellor
John Healey revealed he is wearing a tie that he lent to Gordon Brown for a conference speech.
He said: “I got it back and he signed it and I’ve never worn it, until today.”
John Healey praises Labours last two years
The Chancellor told Labour’s annual conference: “Labour in power, at our best, has always been about building institutions that we pass on to the next generation.
“The NHS, Nato, the Open University, the national minimum wage, the Good Friday Agreement.
“In just the last two years look at what we’ve achieved as a Labour Government, railways coming back into public hands, new rights for renters, new rights at work, British Steel saved. And look at how we acted in Andy’s first week in Prime Minister, we acted on the cost-of-living pressures.”
John Healey pledges ‘fiscal discipline’ ahead of upcoming budget
John Healey has promised a “new age of reindustrialisation” and to run Britain’s finances with fiscal discipline.
Chancellor John Healey said: “I want to talk about the politics of hope, our belief in a better life, a better day, our conviction that committed citizens can change the world no matter how hard the task, how daunting the odds.
“This is our Labour politics. That hope that is earned, earned through fiscal discipline, through good work, and through strong industries.
“So I want to tell you how we’ll bring back hope, how we’ll get Britain growing with hope for our young people with good work and good jobs and a new age of industrialisation.
“Because conference, I believe in Britain and we believe in Britain.”
John Healey pays tribute to Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer in first speech as chancellor
John Healey has begun his first speech as chancellor by describing his role as the “privilege of his life”.
He also paid tribute to his predecessor, Rachel Reeves, and the former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The chancellor said: “I want to pay tribute to our former chancellor Rachel Reeves. She brought to this country financial discipline.
“She delivered two Labour budgets that mean we’re cutting NHS waiting lists and we’re lifting half a million children out of poverty.
“And after 800 years, she will always be recognised as this country’s first-ever female chancellor.”
The conference hall erupted in applause.
Speaking on Sir Keir, Mr Healey said: “He took us from one of our worst ever defeats to one of our biggest ever victories.
“And then, as prime minister, he rebuilt Britain’s respect and international reputation, especially standing up to Russia in defence of Ukraine.
“On behalf of us all, we thank you, Keir.”
Lastly, he turned to his wife, Jackie Bate, and thanked her for her work for the Labour Party.
Ed Miliband calls out Benjamin Netanyahu and highlights Labour’s support for Palestine
Ed Miliband told the Labour conference in Liverpool: “Let us state the reality about the Middle East.
“The only route to peace is two states, a secure Israel and a secure Palestine, with freedom, dignity and self-determination for both peoples.
“We all know how far away we are from that. Hamas’ murderous attack on October 7t united the vast majority of the world in rightful condemnation.
“We stand, I say, against antisemitism wherever we find it and in whatever form.
“And this party will always recognise the threats Israel faces and stand emphatically against those who seek its destruction.
“But this cannot justify the suffering the Netanyahu government has inflicted in Gaza and the West Bank.
“This suffering, this suffering is a stain on the conscience of the world.
“And I want to say to the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere, who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people. We hear you. You were right.
“Under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach. We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank, we call out the evidence of war crimes in Gaza, we call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Gaza.”
Tech titans will not stand in the way of Labour’s bid to manage AI, says Ed Miliband
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said tech titans will not stand in the way of the UK Government’s bid to manage artificial intelligence.
He warned: “We cannot leave it to corporations to put in place the guardrails to serve the public interest”.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference, he said: “The technological progress offered by AI, as we see in our daily lives, is inspiring. But the threat it poses, according to its own inventors, is daunting.
“Now, some are calling for us to act, but other tech companies are saying we should leave it all to them.
“But friends, the lesson of history is that we cannot leave it to corporations to put in place the guardrails to serve the public interest.
“It is neither their purpose nor their motive. Theirs is to maximise profit. We cannot and will not allow that to come at the expense of our children or indeed humanity.
“That’s why, as part of our G20 presidency next year, this country will lead the efforts to manage AI so we keep our country and our world safe.
“And I say, no tech titan should stand in our way. And as we think about our role in the world, we will never be silent about injustice and suffering.”
Britain’s future ‘lies in a stronger, deeper partnership with the European Union’, claims Ed Miliband
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the UK’s future on economics, defence and security “lies in a stronger, deeper partnership with the European Union”.
He told the Labour Party conference: “We will never, never give in to Russia’s threats that we must stand aside and abandon the people of Ukraine. And we will always, always stand up to Russia’s threats wherever they are.”
He added: “We are part of this fight as humanitarians, but also as proud Europeans.
“This is our continent, and if there is one lesson that I have seen demonstrated to me again and again in this job, it is this: Europe is not just our geography, but so much more.
“It is how we pursue our values from climate to the Middle East. It’s how we pursue our interests from trade to defence.
“It’s where we build and protect our alliances, so it is not simply Britain acting alone, but Britain with others.
“And on economics, on defence, on security, I say to this conference, our future lies in a stronger, deeper partnership with the European Union.”
Ed Miliband claims Labour will ‘stand up for our security’ just days after posing for photo with an Iranian regime minister
Ed Miliband has said Britain will “stand up for our security against those who would do us harm” just days after he came under fire after he posed for a photo with an Iranian regime minister during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly.
The Foreign Secretary met his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, in New York, where the pair were photographed shaking hands.
Now, in his speech to the Labour conference, Mr Miliband said: “Let me start by echoing Wes’s words earlier; events at RAF Fairford yesterday are a reminder of the threats our country faces.
“I want to thank our security services, armed forces and police for the work they did yesterday and they do all year round to help keep our country safe.
“Friends, we will always stand up for our security against those who would do us harm.”
Ed Miliband begins speech with tribute to Jewish parents
Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has begun his speech by telling the conference about his parents, both of whom were Jewish refugees during the war and came to Britain to build their lives.
He told the crowd in Liverpool: “My family history means it’s the honour of my life to be your Foreign Secretary.
“They found in Britain a beacon of light.”
He added that “we should all be proud of the legacy” of the 1945 Attlee post-war government.
No economic or moral justification for Britain’s defence sector hiring thousands of workers from abroad, says Wes Streeting
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the Government’s £6billion plan to build three new floating docks will support “thousands of British jobs for years”.
He told the Labour Party conference: “There is neither an economic nor a moral justification for Britain’s defence sector hiring thousands of workers from abroad when we have one million young people out of work here at home.
“But solving that problem needs more than words; it demands bold action, and that’s why today the Chancellor and I are taking one of the biggest defence procurement decisions in a generation: the contract to build the docks for our nuclear subs, our ultimate deterrent, £6billion worth of work.
“Today, we commit to that contract staying in this country, supporting thousands of British jobs for years.”
Wes Streeting warns of ‘choices and trade-offs’ as he pushes for increase on defence spending
More spending on defence will come with “choices and trade-offs”, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said, before adding that “you don’t make your country stronger by making our people poorer”.
He told the Labour Party conference: “I know that more spending on defence comes with choices and trade-offs, but our critics on the right need to understand that you don’t make your country stronger by making our people poorer.
“And I also have to say directly to some of our critics on the left: you are not defending our public services by attacking investment in our national defences.”
He added: “In this Labour Chancellor (John Healey), we have a champion for defence. He knows it’s not either or when it comes to public services and national security – they depend on one another.
“But with more money comes greater responsibility. Every pound the Ministry of Defence spends must be spent well, and so today, I make a promise: the Ministry of Defence I lead will be at the heart of our Prime Minister’s mission to re-industrialise Britain.”
John Healey was right to resign over a lack of commitment to defence spending earlier this year, says Wes Streeting
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said John Healey was right to resign over a lack of commitment to defence spending earlier this year.
He confirmed plans to award defence contracts to British companies during his speech.
Mr Streeting said: “Now, I know that more spending on defence comes with choices and trade-offs, but our critics on the right need to understand that you do not make your country stronger by making our people poorer.
“And I also have to say directly to some of our critics on the left, you are not defending our public services by attacking investment in our national defences.
“As a Labour defence secretary called Mr Healey once said: once we cut defence expenditure to the extent where our security is imperilled, we have no houses, we have no hospitals, we have no schools, we have a heap of cinders.
“Denis Healey was right in 1969 and another Mr Healey, called John, was right to demand more when he was defence secretary just this year.”
Wes Streeting takes swipe as he backs Ukraine in his conference speech
Wes Streeting has said the Labour Party backs Ukraine in his conference speech.
It comes after prominent figures and groups on the left of the Labour Party have previously been accused of blaming Nato for the war in Eastern Europe.
Speaking about Ukraine, Mr Streeting said: “I know whose side the labour movement should be on. Theirs.
“When a Ukrainian nurse treats casualties under drone attack, I know whose side we should be on. Hers.
“When Ukrainian children spend their nights in underground shelters because Russian missiles are overhead.
“I know where our solidarity belongs. With them.
“So to President Zelensky and our friends in Ukraine yesterday, today, tomorrow.
“We are with you for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini.”
Wes Streeting declares UK-US relationship ‘closest on Earth’ following foiled RAF terror plot
Wes Streeting has declared that the UK-US relationship is the “closest on Earth” following the suspected terrorist incident at RAF Fairford.
On Sunday, five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences after three suspicious vans were found close to the Gloucestershire base used by US forces.
Washington has used the base as an outpost for launching strikes on the Islamic Republic from Europe.
Speaking to delegates in Liverpool, Mr Streeting said: “Given events, you will understand that. Before getting into my speech today, I want to say something about yesterday’s events around RAF Fairford.
“You’ll understand that there is a live police investigation, and I cannot provide much further detail than that which is reported.
“But I do want to say that our friendship with America is the closest alliance of any two nations on Earth, and we will always stand together against those who hate our freedom and those who wish us harm.
“And what we saw yesterday from our security services, our armed forces and our police, was just a small glimpse of the extraordinary work they do every day, around the clock and around the world, behind the scenes, and without recognition, to keep our country safe.
“To all of them, from all of us. Thank you.”
Wes Streeting defends Labour’s approach to tackling small boat crisis
Wes Streeting has defended Labour’s approach to tackling the small boat crisis.
He told GB News: “It’s not the safe and legal routes we should worry about. In fact, safe and legal routes are part of the answer for how we deal with the illegal boat crossings which the public are concerned about and we’re taking action on.
“As a government. We are vigilant about this. We’ve seen, with this Home Secretary and the tough approach that she has taken.”
He added: “I’d be the first to say there is more to do. If the Home Secretary were sitting in this chair now, she would tell you that she’s going hard at this issue.
“She is determined to do more as well, but we are taking a robust and effective approach.
“Lots done, but I’d be the first to say, as would the Home Secretary, more to do.”
Andrew Griffith calls for Labour to prioritise ‘first duty of government’ and invest in defence
Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith has called on the Labour government to focus on the “first duty of government” by significantly increasing investment in UK defence.
Speaking this morning on GB News, following a foiled bomb threat at RAF Fairford, Mr Griffith stressed that properly financing national security must take absolute priority.
He told the People’s Channel: “This is an enormously dangerous time in the world.
“Many hostile actors have designs on Britain and our territory, which is why it is imperative the government financed properly its defence plan.
“Three days into my role as shadow Chancellor, I found the money.
“I laid out the choices that we’d make, reduce the cost of welfare, overseas aid, and the cost of housing asylum seekers by making sure that everybody is returned, in order to properly fund our defence. The first duty of government.”
Robert Jenrick rules out abolishing state pension triple lock
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has criticised calls within the Labour Party to abolish the state pension triple lock to fund a sweeping overhaul of social care in England.
Senior Labour figures have already begun making the case for ending the triple lock guarantee, which since 2010 has ensured the state pension rises annually by whichever is highest out of inflation, wage growth, or 2.5 per cent.
Mr Jenrick told GB News: “I don’t believe that we should be reaching into the pockets of pensioners who’ve worked hard, who’ve paid in, who’ve done the decent thing their whole lives as the first port of call.”
Darren Jones, the former chief secretary to the prime minister, suggested the policy’s cost could be redirected.
“If you’re reallocating money to help older people in the social care system, maybe there’s some reform that could be made there,” he said.
Wes Streeting has said the pensions triple lock is expected to stay in place until the next general election, ruling out any changes to the policy in the upcoming budget.
Mr Streeting told Sky News: “The manifesto was clear on this, we’re committed to the triple lock and (Prime Minister) Andy Burnham has been clear that we are standing by our manifesto. So, I hope that’s clear.”
Shabana Mahmood to unveil ‘fast-track’ new refugee route for Afghans and Palestinians
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce a new legal route for vulnerable refugees which will fast-track them towards permanent settlement in the UK.
She will use her speech during the Labour Party conference tomorrow to confirm she is reopening the UK resettlement scheme.
The scheme will target the “most vulnerable” refugees, including women and girls in Afghanistan, Palestinians with critical medical needs and survivors of torture.
Those accepted will be granted immediate indefinite leave to remain, unlike other refugees whose status is reviewed every 30 months.
This will effectively place them on a fast track to settlement and citizenship.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Two protests to be held outside Labour’s annual conference
Two protests will be held outside Labour’s annual conference today.
A leading trade union is calling for migrant workers not to be made scapegoats for the failure to invest in public services.
Unison will accuse ministers of breaking promises made to migrants who came to the UK to work in the health and social care sectors.
General secretary Andrea Egan will tell protestors outside the Liverpool conference centre that the NHS, social care and other essential services relied on the hard work of migrant staff.
Ms Egan will say: “People who came to this country to help look after our loved ones are forced to work on restricted visas under harsh rules which make them second-class citizens.
“Now the promise of being able to settle in the country after five years is not only being broken but replaced with the threat of 15 years of insecurity and exploitation. Moving the goalposts at this stage in the game is wrong and unfair.
“Migrant workers must not be made scapegoats for decades of political failure to invest in public services.
“The Prime Minister talks about building a national care service, an idea Unison fully supports.
“However, that will require respect and appreciation for what care workers do and urgent action to retain the workforce.
“The Government must drop these plans, keep the promises made to migrant workers and invest properly in public services.”
The second comes from unions stepping up calls to bring outsourced public services in-house, with a protest at Labour’s annual conference on Monday.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has called a number of strikes over the issue, including by catering staff after a report last week by the Commonwealth think tank claimed that workers were being driven to poverty because public services were being outsourced.
“Outsourced workers tend to have lower wages and more insecure working arrangements than those directly employed in the public sector,” the report said.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that more than one million people who work in public services were now on privately run contracts.
“That is a recipe for grinding poverty and poorer services, if the work is permanent so should the jobs. Bringing workers in-house makes sense for the taxpayer and the economy,” he said.
Labour confirms when 12 million Britons will be banned from using social media
Labour has revealed the date when millions of Britons will be banned from using social media as part of an “online safety” drive.
In June, then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced an “Australia-style” social media ban for more than 12 million under-16s, insisting the move will “protect children”.
Those affected will see their access to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X, YouTube, Snapchat and Reddit blocked.
The Government had previously not revealed the date in which the prohibition would come into effect – until now.
During an event at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Sunday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed the ban will come into force in March next year.
The Cabinet minister hailed the measure as an “amazing force for good”, insisting it will ensure Britain becomes a “pioneer” in safety online.
“I’m determined that we will change the rights of children forever,” she added.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
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