The political jostling behind Tory internet crackdown

Online harms white paper fuses work of DCMS and Home Office, led by PM hopeful Sajid Javid

Sajid Javid's warning social media companies face "serious consequences" if they don't keep users safe marks one of the biggest incursions by the Home Office into the world of media regulation since the issue was hived off from the department in the 1990s.

The online harms white paper meshes together the work of officials at the Home Office, who have been pushing for a tough crackdown on tech companies from a law enforcement perspective, and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) staff who traditionally regulate the media.