One of the things that is striking about stark newspaper headlines and the frenzy of social media posts is just what a disconnection there can be between what happens in the Westminster bubble and in the world outside.
As usual, I’ve been talking to a fair number of people out and about in the last month and hardly anyone has brought up the Peter Mandelson business. Many more people have, however, commented on the Prime Minister’s decision to keep us out of the war with Iran.
For students of history, Keir Starmer is the first British Prime Minister to turn down a request for military assistance from an American President since Harold Wilson told President Johnson in the mid-1960s that Britain would not be sending troops to Vietnam. These are very big calls to make, and they are why the job of being Prime Minister is so important and can have such far-reaching consequences.
We are undoubtedly now living in a different world; a world that is more uncertain and more dangerous. And I have always believed that serious times require a serious person in Downing Street, and thank goodness, we have such a person in the job currently.
The other thing that marks out a good leader is that when he or she makes a mistake – which Keir Starmer acknowledges he did over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States – they take responsibility, acknowledge it and apologise. Frankly, if more people did that in public life, then I think the public would be more impressed because the truth is that we all get things wrong from time to time.
One of the economic consequences of the war in the Gulf is, of course, that the signs of improvement in the UK economy we had just begun to see at the beginning of this year have now been put in jeopardy. And that impact is being felt most acutely when it comes to fuel prices. Clearly, the sooner the conflict is brought to an end, the sooner the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened, so that ships can take supplies in and out.
That is why the UK has been focusing on trying to de-escalate the crisis and talking to allies about how ships can be safely, escorted through the Strait once a formal cease-fire comes into effect.
In the meantime, we’re monitoring the impact of rising fuel prices very carefully because the cost of living continues to be the number one issue that families are facing. Help has been given for those on low incomes in rural areas who rely on heating oil and energy bills were brought down this month because of the price cap.
I am continuing to get quite a lot of constituents contacting me about social media, and in particular the impact it is having on our children. All new technologies can be used for good or ill, and while we should seize the opportunities that this new technology brings, we must make sure that we protect our children online.
We have already made big strides in implementing the child safety duties in the Online Safety Act passed last July and last month we amended the Crime and Policing Bill to crack down on the use of AI to depict child abuse. As a result, 6,000 sites have taken action to stop children seeing harmful content.
But there is more to do because increasingly, we are hearing from parents and teachers about the effects of social media on young people.
That’s why we’ve launched a consultation on a range of different options and will include parents, tech companies and children and young people themselves. It will conclude at the end of May.
The question is not whether the Government will take further action – we will do so – but what are the most effective next steps that will protect the childhoods of our children.
And in the meantime, we’ve just acted on the subject of mobile phones in schools. Guidance had already been issued to schools to ban mobile phones, so it was a question of enforcement. And last week that guidance was put on a statutory footing with all-party support in the House of Commons. It shows what can be achieved when we work together.
And finally, I’m looking forward to attending a gathering next week of businesses that give their support to the wonderful charity Holbeck Together, of which I am the patron.
As I’ve written in this column previously, Holbeck Together is working on big plans for the refurbishment of the St Matthews Community Centre and taking over the old box office across the road, that was previously used by Leeds Building Society, to provide new facilities for the community.
These are really exciting developments, and this event will be a chance to thank all of those Leeds businesses who freely give of their time and expertise to support charities right across Leeds.
It’s another example of why, if we work together, there is so much more that we can get done.
Hilary Benn is our Member of Parliament. He represents the Leeds South constituency.
Email: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk | Website: www.hilarybennmp.com
Constituency office:
Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 1AB
Tel: 0113 244 1097
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