Keir Starmer’s dithering is putting British children at risk | Politics | News
Keir Starmer in Brighton (Image: Getty)
In January, the Conservatives became the first party in Britain to call for a ban on social media for under 16s. As a Conservative, banning things is not something I instinctively support. But once you have read the research and spoken to the families, it becomes an absolute no brainer.
Social media is harming our children. Not only is it robbing them of their attention spans, disrupting their sleep and impacting learning at school. In some cases it is leading to the most tragic outcomes.
Earlier this year I hosted a press conference with parents who had lost children because of social media. Children who had taken their own lives after viewing harmful content, or who had been murdered after being targeted online.
As a mum, it was one of the most difficult things Iโve ever sat and listened to. But I did it because you only have to listen to these stories to know that something needs to change. These brave parents, like Ella Roome and Lisa Kenevan, are fighting to prevent others going through the same horrors they did.
Kemi Badenoch with Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)
Murder and self-harm are the worst cases, but they are not the only tragedies happening online. Extremist content is also poisoning the minds of children. It says a lot that the boys at the centre of the appalling rapes in Fordingbridge felt the need to film their vile attacks and post the footage on social media.
It all points to one clear conclusion: social media is for adults, and itโs time to get our kids off it.
In true Keir Starmer-style, however, Labourโs response to the Conservativesโ pressure at the start of 2026 wasnโt to act, but to set off months of public consultation. Even now, as the governmentโs procrastination comes to a close, weโre still none-the-wiser over what Starmer will actually do or when heโll do it.
When the Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit the government last month, he did so with the words โwhere we need direction, we have driftโ. He was right. Everyone can see it. The Prime Minister has made an art form out of inaction. But on this issue it means more. I dread to think of the harm that will be done during this year of dithering.
Government by consultation is not the way to run a country. Britain needs politicians with conviction, who are prepared to put their head about the parapet and say enough is enough.
Politics is about policies, but more than that itโs about principles and values. Governments should know what to do because they are elected telling people very clearly what they stand for. If you enter office with no principles and no plan, as Labour did, you spend your time in government asking other people what to think instead.
The Conservatives are the only party doing the hard work to fix this countryโs problems. Time and again we have forced Keir Starmer to see sense and reverse some of the mistakes he is making. Axing the winter fuel allowance, refusing a grooming gangs inquiry, the family farm tax โ we are the ones doing the work to make life better for the people in this country.
But cleaning up Labourโs mess isnโt enough. If we want to get Britain working again, we need a government with a plan, and a leader with conviction. Thatโs the Conservative Party I am building.
