{"text":[[{"start":9.75,"text":"Sir Keir Starmer will seek to justify his new crackdown on the use of social media by teenagers in a speech on Monday morning, arguing that reform is needed to keep children safe in an era of ever-increasing smartphone use. "}],[{"start":24.65,"text":"The prime minister is keen to cement his policy legacy as speculation mounts that he could soon be deposed as prime minister by Andy Burnham, who hopes to win a by-election this Thursday and return to Westminster to challenge for the Labour leadership. "}],[{"start":40.75,"text":"As part of that push, Starmer had wanted to finalise a long-awaited “defence investment plan” earlier this week, but that plan was blown up by the resignation of John Healey. The defence secretary quit after failing to secure the funding he wanted for the plan. "}],[{"start":58,"text":"Starmer is expected to use a speech on Monday morning to announce that the government will ban younger teenagers from some social media platforms and curb their daily use, while also cracking down on romantic chatbots and some gaming app features. "}],[{"start":72.95,"text":"“How we keep kids safe online is one of the biggest debates of our time,” he will say. “We will call time on a system that’s failing our kids and take bold action to give every child the best possible start in life.”"}],[{"start":87.3,"text":"The minimum age on certain sites is also expected to rise to 16 from an average of 13, echoing a recent policy introduced in Australia. Starmer also wants to restrict late-night scrolling by youngsters. "}],[{"start":100.89999999999999,"text":"The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, which passed in April, gave the government the ability to introduce measures to restrict harmful online features. Starmer also announced that all schools in England will be forced to ban smartphone use by children. "}],[{"start":116.19999999999999,"text":"The government consultation on smartphones received 116,000 responses, it said. More than 83 per cent of parents who responded said the risks of using social media “outweigh” any benefits. Ninety per cent of respondents backed an age limit of 16 to access social media platforms."}],[{"start":136,"text":"Later on Monday, Starmer will fly out to the G7 gathering of world leaders in the French Alps, which could be his last summit as prime minister if Labour MPs move quickly — as expected — and oust him in favour of Burnham."}],[{"start":149.7,"text":"Starmer said on Sunday night that his trip to the three-day summit in Évian, France, is an attempt to “deliver growth and security at home” in an increasingly dangerous world. "}],[{"start":160.2,"text":"“We are facing wars on two fronts, the rapid acceleration of technology and the deterioration of global order,” he said. “That is why it is vital that we work closely with our G7 partners to navigate and outpace the threats we face to keep people at home safe.”"}],[{"start":177.04999999999998,"text":"Howweve, he is expected to face an awkward conversation with Trump about the row over UK defence spending which led to Healey’s resignation. The US president has persistently accused other Nato countries of failing to match American financial contributions to the Nato budget. "}],[{"start":194.95,"text":"G7 leaders will focus their efforts on de-escalating tensions in the Middle East and the joint work to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Discussions over further sanctions on Russia, military support for Ukraine and more energy support in future years are also expected. "}],[{"start":212.95,"text":"Downing Street said Starmer will also raise the impact of global conflicts on household finances in the west."}],[{"start":220.2,"text":"While Starmer may be able to escape domestic politics for three days he will return to a maelstrom with some Burnham supporters hoping that if the Greater Manchester mayor wins in Makerfield, where he is leading opinion polls, he could launch a challenge for the Labour leadership within days. "}],[{"start":238.1,"text":"Wes Streeting, former health secretary, says he has the backing of 81 MPs needed to contest the Labour leadership and is telling colleagues that Burnham’s policy ideas should be fully tested."}],[{"start":249.4,"text":"“Wes will be a candidate,” said one ally. “Whoever wins that contest will be better off for having had a proper battle of ideas.”"}],[{"start":258,"text":"The former health secretary set out some of his policy ideas in an article for the Financial Times on Sunday ahead of a speech on the economy this week, in which he will argue for a more liberal migration regime targeted at attracting global talent."}],[{"start":279.95,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1781489246_2845.mp3"}