Last week we passed key measures in our Economic Crime Bill, strengthening, and accelerating our response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the Bill Whip for Economic Crime Bill, I helped to steer this important piece of legislation through the House in a day with very little disagreement across the Commons. We are determined to ensure there is nowhere left to hide for those complicit in Putin’s tyrannical regime by cracking down on those supporting Russia’s campaign of destruction. That is why we have passed new measures through our Economic Crime Bill to clamp down on corrupt elites – including shortening the deadline to register overseas entities to six months, making it easier to enforce global sanctions, and broadening the scope of Unexplained Wealth Orders. These unprecedented measures will support our law enforcement agencies to take more effective action against corrupt elites and criminals and send a clear message that we will come for their ill-gotten gains.
I know that the cost of living has risen and the latest news concerning Russia means that the fuel price is regrettably going to rise. I appreciate that this will have an impact on everyone in North Cornwall. The budget is due in a few weeks, and I will be asking the Chancellor to ensure that measures are in place to support people, especially those who are already facing financial difficulties. Many of the issues which cause the cost of living to rise are out of the Governments control, and while we can try to intervene in the market the reality is that there is only so much we can do. We are lucky that we live in a society where there is a substantial safety net in place to support people, and as always, if you have an issue or need my office or to support you through this difficult time then please get in touch.
Finally, we have also announced further improvements to the Online Safety Bill that will protect people from scam adverts online, cracking down on fraudsters conning people out of their hard-earned money. Crimes like romance and investment fraud leave lifelong scars on their victims and destroy their finances – and these crimes are on the rise with people spending more time online. That is why we announced changes to the Online Safety Bill which will require social media platforms to prevent fraudulent adverts appearing on their services – alongside a consultation on plans to create a more transparent, accountable, and safer market for online advertising which could see harmful or misleading adverts subject to tougher penalties. These changes will make the internet safer, protecting innocent victims from being taken advantage of and conned by fraudsters online.
