Cabinet ministers feared introducing a ban on social media for the under-16s in case it upset Donald Trump, The i Paper understands.
A number of Keir Starmer’s ministers originally resisted calls for an Australia-style age limit to avoid clashing with the US administration’s full-throated support for big tech, just as the Prime Minister was trying to forge close relations with the president.
But others, including Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and the then Health Secretary Wes Streeting, argued for the UK to take tougher action to protect young people from harmful content.
Shorts
The details emerged as a government consultation on the proposals were drawing to a close at midnight on Tuesday – with the Prime Minister and Kendall pledging to take action within weeks and a possible ban in place by the end of this year.
