Consigned to a watery grave
As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak risked being drowned out - both by torrential rain and a recording of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ - as he called a snap General Election to take place on 04 July 2024, his announcement renders the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill a wash out.
Announced in the Queen’s Speech in May 2022 - under Boris Johnson’s government - the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was introduced in the House of Commons in July 2022 before its consideration was postponed as the Conservative Party held its leadership election and was then replaced by the Data Protection and Digital Information (No.2) Bill. After the new Parliamentary session and the State Opening of Parliament in November 2023, the (third and current) Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was introduced.
The Bill , which included provisions to reform the law on cookies and to introduce sweeping financial monitoring powers over those in receipt of state benefits, was due to undergo Report stage in the House of Lords from 10 June 2024.
With the announcement of the General Election, however, there will be insufficient time for the Bill to pass its final Parliamentary stages prior to the prorogation of Parliament on Friday 24 May and its dissolution on Thursday 30 May 2024. We therefore anticipate that the Bill will not be passed, certainly not in its current form.
At the time of the announcement, it isn’t clear whether the winner of the election, whether the Conservatives or the Labour Party, would seek to re-introduce the Bill or introduce another attempt to reform the UK’s data protection law as set out in the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
To read about all the legislation and Parliamentary inquiries impacting cyber security, data protection, online safety, artificial intelligence (AI), digital markets, content regulation, reputation management, open justice, access to information, human rights and ESG, which have either been washed up or fallen, read our blog ‘Washed-up or fallen down the plughole’.
To find out about the major UK political parties’ manifesto commitments, read our blog ‘Pledge or hedge?’