Sir Robert Buckland says Tory pushback probable when details get debated, after bill passes second reading
Yesterday Rishi Sunak suggested the UK might follow the US and Canada in banning TikTok from government devices because of its Chinese ownership, and fears that the Chinese state could access its data, or manipulate its content.
This morning Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, went further, and refused to rule out a full ban on the app. Asked if he would consider this, he told Times Radio:
I don’t have it, and the prime minister asked me to defend the leading democracy taskforce a little while ago, and as part of that we’re looking at the various threats to parliamentarians but also to journalists.
Looking at the various different apps people have on their phones and the implications for them is a hugely important question and I’ve asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look into this.
It will be addressed with the challenges we face, with the threats we face. I’m not going to give you an answer until I know what the risks are.
Jeremy Hunt is preparing to boost the tax-free allowance for pensions by more than half a million pounds as he battles the wave of early retirement that has squeezed growth.
The so-called lifetime allowance (LTA) – which is the maximum amount of money workers can put in their pensions before they are taxed – is expected to be lifted from just over £1m in the chancellor’s maiden budget.
