Labour vows to end ‘trickle down’ tech by taking on digital giants

Lucy Powell wants tech giants to open up on data use – and warns Tories will hold BBC ‘over a barrel’ in run-up to general election

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell (PA)

Labour is vowing to end the era of “trickle down” technology by taking on the monopoly held by Silicon Valley’s digital giants.

Frontbencher Lucy Powell told The Independent that the party wanted to see digital technology “fairly shared” so it “works for the many, and not just for the few”.

The shadow secretary for digital, culture, media and sport said the power of the major US tech giants – such as Google, Apple and Meta – was a “symptom” of unfairness in society.

Labour is considering how legislation and new “digital charters” could force tech giants to open up on how they use data in a bid to create a level-playing field for the public sector and small businesses.

“If you have the platforms and the data, then you can become all-dominant – sucking up smaller companies,” said Ms Powell. “Through your business models, that can dramatically affect people’s opinions, what people buy, how people behave and how they live their lives.”

The shadow culture secretary said Labour wanted to enforce greater “openness and accountability” on the use of data to help small and medium-sized firms in the UK “get a look in”.

She added: “People need to understand their data is secure, but if you do it in the right way, with the right framework, opening up data sharing in public services can have huge opportunities for how we better deliver services.”

Speaking ahead of her conference speech on Tuesday, Ms Powell said Sir Keir Starmer’s party wanted to “harnesses the spirit” of former Labour PM Harold Wilson’s drive to make sure ordinary Britons benefited from the “white heat” of technological change in 1960s.

Labour continues to back the Online Safety Bill – the legislation championed by ex-culture secretary Nadine Dorries in a bid to bring in stronger regulation of social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter.

Yet to clear the Commons, Lord Frost is among the Tory backbenchers pressing the government to drop the part of the bill which attempts to define “legal but harmful” online content – warning it could allow future Labour governments to censor free speech.

Ms Powell believes the Tory government has become bogged down in a “cul-de-sac” of free speech arguments – saying the bill was a missed opportunity to tackle the algorithms which promote divisive and hateful content.

“It should be about the business model and the power and the processes of the [social media] platforms,” said the shadow culture secretary. “It’s the power that needs regulating, not the opinions.”

The MP for Central Manchester has a new opposite number since Liz Truss entered No 10. Ms Powell said the “jury’s out” on whether new culture secretary Michelle Donelan would drop her predecessor’s constant “culture war” attacks on the BBC.

Ms Donelan has indicated she was reviewing the planned privatisation of Channel 4, but has also warned that she has been a long-time “sceptic” of the BBC license fee. “I’m not sure we’re going to see that end of that era,” Ms Powell said on the politicisation of the BBC and its licence fee.

She added: “I think it’s pretty clear that in the run-up to a general election, the Conservative party is going to want to have the BBC over their own barrel – to try and influence them political by dangling over them the fact the charter may not be renewed, which is what they are discussing,” she said.

Ms Powell also said she was worried that the Tories were “backpedalling” over the promise of an independent football regulator, following reports that senior government figures were considering how to shelve oversight plans.

The Labour frontbencher is hosting a conference event on football governance on Monday with her most famous constituent, the Manchester United and England legend Gary Neville.

The shadow culture secretary revealed that regulation of the English game was something she had already “discussed a lot” with the Sky Sports pundit, as he helps inform Labour policy.

Could Neville be persuaded to stand for parliament? “Obviously he’s a fantastic speaker, he’s got great values,” she said. “But high-profile people can often shape the political debate more from the outside than the inside.”

Ms Powell added: “He’s certainty making a lot of headway doing that, shall we say – maybe more than he could in any sort of formal way.”