The Data Protection Bill will be a major step forward in data protection law in the United Kingdom, replacing a framework that was developed in the 1990s, when the Internet was very much a minority pursuit. The Bill will bring the law up to date and enhance personal privacy, and I am proud to support it.
However, like the UK Government, I accept that, in the national interest, there must be some exceptions to these protections. The UK has a long history of sharing data and other information with our allies in the United States, and this relationship has been vital in helping keep this country safe, especially in recent years. I believe it would be imprudent for us to jeopardise that relationship and risk cutting off our own intelligence agencies’ access to potentially crucial information.