A Tory bid to snoop on benefit claimants’ bank accounts has failed – along with other major legislation.

Here’s Prem Sikka to tell you about the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill:

Because of the general election the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill passed by the Commons has fallen in the Lords.

Govt was seeking 24/7 powers to snoop on the bank accounts of recipients of benefits and state pension.

Govt avoided defeat in the Lords by giving in.

— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) May 23, 2024

So future governments will not be able to spy on benefit claimants’ and pensioners’ bank accounts – unless they decide to launch similar legislation. Isn’t it funny how they never give us the ability to peek into their own finances in return?

It isn’t all good news. Other legislation derailed by the election includes:

• A Bill to ban smoking by anybody born on or after 2009 – although Labour has pledged to bring it in if that party is elected, and
• The Renters (Reform) Bill, which would ban landlords from evicting tenants without a reason.

Also suspended with no likelihood of return will be current e-petitions on the government’s website.

This Writer has received an email that states:

Because of the General Election… all petitions now have to close at 00:01am on 30 May. This is because Parliament will be dissolved, which means all parliamentary business – including petitions – must stop. This means the petitions site will be closed and people will not be able to start or sign petitions.

[Petitions] won’t be reopened after the election.

The Government can’t respond to petitions during the election period. This means if the petition has over 10,000 signatures, it can’t receive a response from the current Government after 29 May. After the election, the new Government will have to decide whether to respond to petitions from before the election.

It does, at least, say

We’re sorry we weren’t able to give you more notice that this would happen.

A new petitions site will open after a new petitions committee is appointed – after the general election.

This means, of course, that the petition This Writer had signed – calling for all arms licences for Israel to be revoked – will not receive any consideration and that country will continue receiving weapons from the UK, with which to murder innocent Gazans – for the foreseeable future.

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