Starmer Leaves Door Open to Attempting VPN Ban – Guido Fawkes

Starmer Leaves Door Open to Attempting VPN Ban

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Downing Street is refusing to dismiss the possibility of a future ban on Virtual Private Networks. Asked in today’s Lobby briefing if the government would rule out restricting the use of VPNs for children or anyone else at any point in the future, Number 10’s official spokesman said the government have “no plans to go beyond that“… but nonetheless said they would “keep under review what is necessary to keep children safe online“. The coy sort of language that leaves the door wide open to plans that do in fact go beyond that in the future…

As Guido has reported, Labour has previously supported moves to crack down on VPNs when the Online Safety Act was first going through parliament. Here’s what prominent backbench MP Sarah Champion said at the time:

“My new clause 54 would require the Secretary of State to publish, within six months of the Bill’s passage, a report on the effect of VPN use on Ofcom’s ability to enforce the requirements under clause 112. If VPNs cause significant issues, the Government must identify those issues and find solutions, rather than avoiding difficult problems.”

The party front bench subsequently backed Champion’s mission. VPN use has skyrocketed since the Online Safety Act was implemented, and the campaign to ban them is already whirring into motion. Of course if even Beijing can’t ban VPNs, it would be less than pointless for Whitehall to try. Evidence has never stopped the blob before…