Rishi Sunak 'kows to conservative rebels' over jail sentences for social media bosses who fail to protect children

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Rishi Sunak appears to have bowed to pressure from rebel Tory MPs to toughen penalties on social media bosses who fail to protect children from harm online.

The Prime Minister faced a major backbench rebellion as 50 MPs put their names to an amendment to the Online Safety Bill that would make tech chiefs criminally liable if they didn't stop minors from seeing harmful content.

Michelle Donelan reached an agreement with the rebels after talks over the weekend, a source close to the culture secretary says , allowing the Prime Minister to avoid an embarrassing defeat in the Commons.

The source suggested Ms Donelan likes the intent of the amendment, but the wording 'wasn't quite right' .

It is understood that the rebels have abandoned the amendment before it returns to the Commons on Tuesday and the Culture Secretary is working with them to table it in the Lords Parliament "in a more convenient format".

This is the third time that Mr Sunak has faced uprisings on its back benches since entering No 10 in October, after abandoning onshore wind farms and housing planning reforms.

Former cabinet ministers, including the former Home Secretary Priti Patel and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith are among those backing the online safety bill amendment.

With Labor backing it equally, failure to compromise would have put Mr Sunak on track for his first major Commons defeat.< /p>

The Rebel Amendment seeks to introduce a new clause into the Security Bill in line to "make it an offense for the provider of a user service to failing to comply with safety obligations protecting children” that are set out in the bill.

In its current form, the new Internet Safety Act would require technology companies to remove illegal content of their platforms, with a particular focus on protecting children from harmful content.

Social Media Platforms and Other User-Generated Content hefty fines from new industry regulator Ofcom.

But the proposed law would only hold tech bosses liable for failing to provide information to the watchdog.

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Sir Iain said the current protection offered by the Bill was "weak" and that children needed more safeguards against "extreme pornography" and suicide materials.

< p>The NSPC...