Matthew Lynn

Trump is doing us a favour by targeting our dreadful tech laws

It will be an unacceptable intrusion on our sovereignty. And it will pave the way for American domination of the internet. Ministers will no doubt be appalled by the suggestion by President Trump that he will impose tariffs on the UK if we don’t rip all the tech legislation that he doesn’t like, especially if that is driven by his new friends in Silicon Valley. But hold on. Sure, the interference in our domestic regulation is unwelcome. And yet, Donald Trump may also be doing us a favour – we have passed some terrible legislation and we would be better off without it. 

The UK may soon face tariffs from the US, by far our largest export market, if we don’t make changes to the way we regulate the tech industry.

Get Britain's best politics newsletters

Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Written by
Matthew Lynn

Matthew Lynn is a financial columnist and author of ‘Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis’ and ‘The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031’

Topics in this article

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in