Twitter has been accused of unfairly profiteering from the personal data of up to 14.1 million people in the UK after it used their email addresses to sell targeted advertising without their knowledge. The San Francisco-based social media giant admitted on Tuesday that it allowed advertisers to benefit from email addresses and phone numbers which it […]
The Queen will deliver her speech in the House of Lords on Monday next week, to mark the start of a new parliamentary session. This gives the Government an opportunity to set out its priorities for legislation in the year ahead. This ‘Queen’s Speech’ is long overdue, with the last one being delivered over two […]
MPs are just as hooked on social media as everyone else, and that means a new and very direct channel of communication has opened up between government and governed. Is that a good thing, especially at a time when British politics has become so charged-up by Brexit? Prospect, in partnership with Vuelio, brought together a panel of […]
Last Friday I was delighted to be invited to officially ‘open’ a new bench and rest stop on the North Downs Way near to the top of Tolsford Hill. This project has been led by the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and I was joined for the occasion by its Chairman Chris […]
As we face the prospect of a general election, we need to confront the fact that our electoral law is not fit for purpose in the digital age. Technology has created opportunities for people to campaign without revealing their identity, spend above restricted limits, and receive untraceable donations, including from overseas. We should introduce emergency […]
Last Friday I was pleased to be invited to Martello Primary school in Folkestone to meet the students and discuss what they had learned during their democracy week. As part of this the pupils had also conducted their own elections for the positions of Head Girl and Head Boy for the coming year. I was […]
The Premier League is coming under pressure to launch an investigation into revelations that Liverpool paid a £1 million settlement to Manchester City over a complaint that their scouting system had been hacked. Senior figures at two top-flight clubs spoken to by The Times believe the “spygate” issue should be the subject of a review by the […]
Last Sunday I attended once again the annual Battle of Britain service at St Stephen’s Church in Lympne. This year marks the 79th anniversary of that epic struggle between the RAF and the German air force above the skies of Kent, when the fate of western Europe hung by a thread. Defeat would have given […]
Video game loot boxes should be regulated as gambling and children barred from purchasing them, a House of Commons committee has advised. The recommendation comes as part of the digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) committee’s report on immersive and addictive technologies, published on Thursday after months of parliamentary hearings with technology and gaming companies. […]
In the early hours of Tuesday 10th September, the House of Commons prorogued, ending the longest parliamentary session for over three hundred years. Instead of the normal twelve-month session this last one has run continuously since June 2017. When Parliament returns on 14th October, The Queen will deliver her first speech to Parliament in over […]