The internet sheriffs at Ofcom have admitted the government’s Online Safety Act (OSA) dumps “new regulatory costs” on British companies, forcing them to wade through miles of red tape just to stay online. In a 3,100-word letter to Starmer and Reeves, Ofcom Chief Melanie Dawes attempts to explain how her broadcasting quango is “contributing to economic growth“. Yes, really. There is a whole sub-heading dedicated to the Online Safety Act…
“The OSA inevitably places new regulatory costs on companies because we are asking them to carry out assessments and introduce new systems and processes that they have not previously had to prioritise. The largest and/or riskiest services rightly face the heaviest burdens. Nevertheless, we are committed to making online safety regulation as easy as possible to understand and comply with, particularly for small UK-based companies who want to get it right. In January 2025, we launched the beta version of our dedicated Digital Support Service (DSS) to help businesses understand their regulatory requirements under the OSA…”
Dawes goes on to say the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will also “impose new regulatory burdens on businesses“. Don’t worry, the good news is this will somehow ultimately contribute to economic growth. It also gives Ofcom “enhanced powers“. In the good old days, a nimble state with a low tax burden and high productivity was the way to economic growth. Now we give Ofcom magical new powers and hope for the best…
Read the full letter here if you really want to. It’s not really a page-turner…
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has launched a new attack on Starmer over the Chagos Surrender this morning at Davos:
“President Trump has made it clear that we will not outsource our national security or our hemispheric security to any other countries… Our partner in the UK is letting us down with the base on Diego Garcia, which we’ve shared together for many, many years, and they want to turn it over to Mauritius.”
Yesterday he told Fox News: “We share a military facility on an island called Diego Garcia, and the UK is giving that island to Mauritius, and guess who is behind Mauritius? The Chinese.”
It sounds like the China hawks have finally made successful overtures in the White House. Starmer looks even stupider with his nonsensical “China, Russia, and Iran oppose the Chagos deal” line…
Reeves is in Davos attempting to woo business and world leaders alike, insisting that Britain is “not here to be buffeted around“. She added that she’s “confident” the UK can get a good trade deal with the US despite Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland:
“Britain is not here to be buffeted around…We got the best deal and the first trade deal with uh the US last year. I’m confident that that we will continue to get a good deal for Britain and around the world.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has at the same time suggested trade talks with the UK are on hold. Reeves also promised the UK would see a “sharp decline in inflation” by late spring thanks to her Budget measures. Bookmark that one…
Starmer is set to make the Golden Keir-A official. Reuters now reports that he and Xi Jinping will revive the ‘Golden Era’ in his visit to China next week. British firms such as Jaguar Land Rover and AstraZeneca are to join a revamped “UK-China CEO Council”. Just days after Labour approved the Chinese ‘Super-Spy’ embassy in the centre of London. Expect more announcements like these in the coming days…
Yesterday Bloomberg reported that British and Chinese security officials have forged a new “Cyber Dialogue” to manage the threat of cyber attacks. A reminder that just last October, China was blamed for a major cyber attack in the UK foreign office. Wonder how those discussion will go…
Meanwhile, there are nerves in Whitehall over how the Americans will react to Starmer’s Beijing jolly, with Number 10 and the Foreign Office braced for an “irked” President Trump. Just as Trump blasted the great “stupidity” of Starmer giving away Chagos to a Chinese ally. Walking a tightrope…
Speaking at Davos, Zelensky said:
“Europe loves to discuss the future, but avoids taking action today. Action that defines what kind of future we will have. That’s the problem.”