Senior Tory calls on government to overhaul internet abuse laws

Parliament's equalities chair warns against internet providers being allowed to hide behind free speech argument

Britain needs better internet laws to stop online abuse that may be creating a nightmare for society in future, Maria Miller, the Conservative former culture secretary and equalities minister, has said.

The senior Tory MP, who now chairs the Commons women and equalities committee, said the government needed to wake up to some of the problems the internet was creating, from vile abuse on social media to easy sharing of violent explicit images among young people.