A few weeks ago, a group of Conservative colleagues from the Commons and Lords wrote a letter to various ministers to highlight our concerns over the global online tech giant, PayPal, a payment service provider, closing the accounts of an individual and a number of non-profit advocacy, campaigning and journalistic organisations for political reasons. Whether we agree with that individual or the organisations’ political views is irrelevant; in the UK we have long championed freedom of speech and expression and we simply cannot allow big global tech companies to adopt political positions and regulate the speech of their customers.
Following the letter, PayPal restored the accounts. However, with the support of colleagues, I tabled an amendment to the the Financial Services and Markets Bill (a bill which takes advantage of Brexit and rolls back or reforms EU regulation in order to make our financial sector more globally competitive). The amendment would prohibit payment service providers from withdrawing services from a customer based on their legitimate political beliefs. This might sound niche, but actually, it takes a clear stand against the ‘cancel culture’ we have been witnessing here and in the USA. The minister committed to taking evidence in the forthcoming statutory review in the New Year of the Payment Services Regulations, which will be a public consultation, and deliver legislation if necessary.
On Sunday afternoon, on the way to London for my week in Parliament, we gracefully slid off the road on black ice into a ditch, alongside another car. In the couple of hours or so it took the recovery vehicle to drag the (undamaged) cars out, it started to snow, and the wonderful Police provided a safe haven in their warm van for us. And, boy, did it snow – to the extent that we could not return home, nor get to London. We rang friends who lived close by for help, and they put us up for the night. I since heard that pubs and households all over East Sussex that evening showed similar kindness to stranded people.
No word, thought or act of kindness is ever wasted and, when we enjoy our freedom to speak this Christmas, it is worth remembering that we have a choice to speak kindly and respond kindly, and hold compassion and empathy as our core values of free speech. May the spirit of Christmas bring to us all love, hope, light and laughter.