James Cleverly tells Times Radio he is wary of Labour overreach on freedom of speech…
I am cautious, no, I am uncomfortable with some of the calls that I’ve heard more recently, and some of the examples that I’ve seen where people would fear that debate, legitimate debate, and disagreement becomes policed, and that we have some kind of social censorship by the backdoor. Now, I said in response to the terrible incidents in Southport at the start of last week, that we all have a personal duty to think carefully before we disseminate information that we read online. And when I met the social media companies, both on the west coast of America and in New York, I made the point that they also have a duty to make sure that as far as possible, what we see online is truthful. But we also have to be very, very careful that we don’t turn into an oppressive police state. The Labour Party has a long tradition of overreach in terms of freedom of speech and civil liberties and I don’t want to see that happening again.
Lord Khan in the Telegraph: “I hope, and I say this in a non-pompous way, that the public service I do will bring rewards in this world and the hereafter,” he says. “I’m hoping the work I do is earning me Brownie points.”