Labour came to power in 2024 with five stated missions: to improve economic growth, the NHS, street safety, clean energy and the distribution of opportunity. If Keir Starmer had been honest about his plans, he would have pledged just one – restricting access to social media.

This is the goal the government has pursued obsessively. Starmer turned to it as his premiership collapsed around him, imposing a social media ban for under-16s. As Andy Burnham seizes the reins, he will have to grapple with divisions in his party over defence and welfare – but his MPs remain united in their crusade against so-called online harms.

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That is why Liz Kendall, the Technology Secretary, is talking about a ‘final decision’ on our right to access VPNs, why Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, has made a show of leaving X and why Lucy Powell, the Labour deputy leader, wants to restrict what can be posted on social media during election campaigns. Forget net zero – in 2026, the easiest way to virtue-signal is to declare your contempt for online freedoms.

A green paper published recently by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport indicates that alternative media, which thrives in the online world, is next in the government’s sights. The document is the culmination of a long lobbying exercise by broadcast media to re-establish dominance over the information ecosystem. There is the usual saccharine fluff about how TV shows such as Adolescence........

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