# Minister ridicules Reform claims Labour is ‘terrified’ of party – as it happened

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## Government 'betraying children' by 'gutting' smartphone bill, MPs told
The "broken social security system is holding our people back", Number 10 has said, ahead of an anticipated welfare overhaul, reports the PA news agency.

Downing Street said on Friday there has been an “unsustainable rise in welfare spending” and it promised reforms in “the coming weeks”.

Chancellor **Rachel Reeves** suggested the system is “letting down taxpayers” due to the costs, with curbs expected to make up a chunk of government savings anticipated at the spring statement later this month.

Asked whether **Keir Starmer** agrees with Reeves, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said:

> We should all be furious about this. We should all be furious about the delay and the prevarication that is being injected into what could have been a huge step forward for parents and children.
>
> I cannot then understand why the government has pressured (Labour MP Josh MacAlister) to produce what is, frankly, a cosmetic plug, betraying our children and capitulating to big tech. I’m afraid this bill is a shell of what it could have been, and as a result, is yet another missed opportunity to improve the lives of our young people.”

He said he wanted to secure “the liberty of the individual at the same time as the protection of the vulnerable, and that’s precisely what we need to be able to adopt as we move forward”.

Bryant said the government was working to implement the already-passed Online Safety Act “as fast as we possibly can”, adding that illegal content codes will come into force this month, with new duties on social media companies to detect and remove some content including child sexual abuse and terrorism material.

He said children’s safety codes are “nearly finalised”, and told the Commons that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is running a feasibility study into the impact of smartphones and social media, due to report in May so ministers “have all the information that we need to make a considered view”.

MPs agreed to adjourn the debate, which will be listed to resume on 11 July.

## Labour 'not terrified' of Reform, says Murray
Labour is “not terrified” of , Scottish secretary **Ian Murray** has said. The minister ridiculed the party’s deputy leader **Richard Tice**, who on Thursday appeared not to know the names of two council defectors during a visit to Glasgow.

Under questioning from journalists, Tice appeared to have forgotten or not known the surnames of councillors **James Gray** and **Ross Lambie**, who had left the Tories to join his party, only using their first names.

Earlier in the day the deputy of the  party said both Scottish  and the SNP were “terrified” of them.

Speaking to the PA news agency after a speech in Edinburgh, Murray said:

> We’re certainly not terrified of a party (whose deputy leader) doesn’t know the name of his own councillors.”

He added that Labour has to perform as a government to succeed in next year’s Holyrood election. “We’ve set out our stall, we’ve set out our missions,” Murray added.

Murray said:

> Our manifesto is there for everyone to see.
>
> We’ve settled and stabilised the economy with the budget back in October, now it’s time to start delivering on those big issues.”

Speaking at a Q&A session after the Edinburgh speech, Murray said Tice had been “battered” by the questions – a reference to the Glasgow visit taking place at a chip shop – adding that he struggled to answer “basic questions”.

“When you start to scratch under the surface of politicians from parties like Reform, you start to see what they really are all about,” he said.

Data protection minister **Chris Bryant** said he was “not going to make any arguments today against action”, adding:

> Everybody accepts that action is inevitable in this sphere.”

He said he wanted to secure “the liberty of the individual at the same time as the protection of the vulnerable, and that’s precisely what we need to be able to adopt as we move forward”.

Bryant said the government was working to implement the already-passed Online Safety Act “as fast as we possibly can”, adding that illegal content codes will come into force this month, with new duties on social media companies to detect and remove some content including child sexual abuse and terrorism material.

He said children’s safety codes are “nearly finalised”, and told the Commons that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is running a feasibility study into the impact of smartphones and social media, due to report in May so ministers “have all the information that we need to make a considered view”.

MPs agreed to adjourn the debate, which will be listed to resume on 11 July.
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