Despite government claims that the Online Safety Bill will not include a ‘backdoor’ for breaking encryption, contrary to reports, there have been no amendments to the Bill that would stop the Home Office snooping on private messages. Here’s where we stand as the bill looks to return to parliament:

• A recent report reveals a backdoor in the Online Safety Bill that empowers the Home Office read private messages en masse under the Investigatory Powers Act.
• ‘Breaking encryption’ could decrease security and increase hacking risks.
• It would undermine journalistic sources and patient confidentiality.
• It is likely that WhatsApp and Signal may cease their UK services if the unamended Bill becomes law.
• Even the UK government’s own encrypted messages could become vulnerable to hostile foreign actors.
• The bill contravenes the EU’s Digital Markets Act which defends end-to-end encryption for messaging services.
• Various businesses and civic leaders, including Signal CEO Meredith Whittaker, have expressed concerns about these powers.
• Despite warnings from civil society, the government has pursued efforts to break encrypted messaging.
• Measures to break encryption are opposed by three quarters of voters and threaten Britain’s £1 trillion tech sector.

Speaking on the latest evidence, David Davis told Guido:

“The Government has acted with the best of intentions but this Bill is going to have a litany of unintended consequences. Conceding that interception at source of private communications – and effective undermining of encryption –  won’t happen until ‘technically feasible’ is an improvement on rushing blindly into a disastrous policy, but it is still just kicking the problem down the road. We need to be clear on a variety of issues thrown up by this latest stance.   Will, for example, Parliament be consulted at the point that a technically feasible option is judged to be available?   If not, who will assess whether the option is safe enough?

“Too many ministers and numerous changes of direction has resulted in a piece of legislation that will have significant unintended consequences for this country.

“We have a duty to uphold our rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Proper consideration must be given to how both the Online Safety Bill and the Investigatory Powers Act operate together, and what the real effect of these two complex pieces of legislation are on the rights of the British people.”

Westminster’s worried about Chinese spies, perhaps we should also be looking a little closer to home…

UPDATE: The government made a last-minute amendment in the Lords to include new powers for Ofcom to “remotely view” information. This was not consulted about publicly. Ofcom has a history of  being victim to cyberattacks… 

Lord Parkinson gave verbal assurances that powers to require scanning of private messages would not be used until technically feasible in the Lords yesterday. There are no words to that effect in the Bill…

The head of Mercedes-Benz has hit out at the EU over electric vehicle tariffs which would pose a “major challenge” to the competitiveness of the European car industry. At the inauguration of a manufacturing plant in France, Ola Källenius slammed so-called rules of origin, which dictate that a car must have 45% of its parts originate from the UK or EU, or face 10% tariffs. Ola isn’t alone in wanting a delay for the rules set to be implemented in January 2024. Calls to “urgently make adjustments” also came from VDA… the German car industry’s lobbying group.

This regulatory car crash didn’t come as a surprise to Guido, nor anybody who listened to the predictions of leaders in the Brexit campaign. In 2016 – seven years ago – David Davis warned “CEOs would be knocking down Chancellor Merkel’s door. Demanding access to the British market.” The Twitter Remainiacs reacted exactly as you would expect…

Yet now, with an EU trade deal already on the books, David’s warnings have been vindicated. With other Europhile arguments crumbling and trade deals with Australia and New Zealand coming into force today, the sunlit uplands are coming into view.

The latest publication of MPs register of interests is out and Guido has the highlights. David Davis is the latest to add to Guido’s long list of MPs enjoying expenses-paid skiing trips. He jetted off to Austria for 8 days in February, in a trip worth £9,521 – funded by private donor Ian Hannam.

Britain’s former PMs have also been enjoying the perks of their status. Liz Truss cashed in £7,500 from Billionaire donor Johan Eliasch, Boris spent yet more time in the properties of the Bamfords and Theresa May took a £22,000 trip to Bahrain – part funded by their government. Liz also took her 15 minutes of fame further, as she lived it up with showbiz luvvies with a ticket to the BRIT awards, worth £1,300.

Andrew Bridgen has also received donations to the value of £7,900 from Reclaim the Media Ltd, trading under the Bad Law Project. The legal advocacy group, funded by Reclaim Party backer Sir Jeremy Hosking and with strong links to the party, is supporting Bridgen in libel action against Matt Hancock. It has also provided him meals, speech writing, counselling and social media consultancy. There had previously been speculation Bridgen might join the party, after they offered him public support…

Amongst the other new additions:

• Labour MPs Rushanara Ali took a £4,700 trip to the UAE at their government’s expense.
• Tory MPs raked in cash from GB News – Lee Anderson got £200 a week from November – February, Dehenna Davison got £1,879 and Phillip Davies brought home a stonking £10,000 for 13 episodes in January and February.
• Not to be outdone, TalkTV also forked out. With Bim Afolami, Caroline Nokes and Alec Shelbrooke each receiving £300 an episode – for a combined £2,400.
• Labour MPs also enjoy lucrative media arrangements of their own. David Lammy bought in £5,200 and Chris Bryant £1,000 from Global and Jess Phillips’ podcast netted her £5,000.

Guido would also like to give lefty MP Liam Byrne an honourable mention. Liam has long opposed the “shocking standards” of private landlords and has called for their regulation. He is now a private landlord.
Co-conspirators can read the register in full here.