Sir Keir Starmer has moved to force Apple and Google to remove any app that permits the sharing of nude images, in a direct intervention designed to shield British children from online harm. The Prime Minister is understood to have personally called the tech chiefs on Monday evening, demanding compliance within 72 hours or face statutory action.
This is not a consultation. It is an ultimatum. Downing Street sources confirm the PM is prepared to introduce emergency legislation if the companies refuse. The move follows a spate of child-on-child sexual abuse cases involving apps that bypass parental controls.
Labour has been burned on crime and policing. But this is different. The PM's team believe they have found a wedge issue that splits the tech giants from their own users. The polling shows mothers in marginals are terrified. Starmer is betting that taking on Silicon Valley will play well in Red Wall seats lost to the Tories.
The tech companies are furious. Google's lobbyists are already ringing every minister they can find. Apple is pointing to its existing safeguards. But the mood in number 10 is defiant. They know the public mood. The old days of self-regulation are over.
There is a risk of legal challenge. EU precedent is complicated. But Starmer's advisors are confident the Online Safety Act gives them cover. They are also banking on a split in the industry. Some smaller app developers are privately backing the crackdown, seeing it as a chance to weaken the duopoly.
The real game is about leadership. Starmer needs to show he can act decisively. The backbenchers have been restless. This is a populist move wrapped in a policy paper. If it works, it will be held up as proof that Labour is serious about protecting children. If it backfires, the tech companies will unleash a PR war.
Watch for the statement tomorrow. Expect the PM to go personal. He will talk about his own children. The optics are carefully managed. The No 10 comms team are briefing that this is a 'national mission'.
For now, the clock is ticking. Apple and Google have 72 hours. The lobby is mobilising. But the message from the top is clear: protect the children, or face the law.
