British MP Withdraws Amendment That Would Have Stopped Digital Payment Firms Withholding Service Over Political Views

Outside PayPal's headquarters in San Jose, Calif., on March 10, 2015. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo

An MP who wanted to make it illegal in the UK for companies like PayPal to demonetise customers for political reasons has removed her amendment, saying that the issue needs to be looked at by the British government in more detail.

On Nov. 3, Conservative MP Sally-Ann Hart presented an amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which would make it illegal for a financial services provider to withhold or withdraw service from a customer if it’s related to their freedom of expression.

The new clause would have made it illegal in the UK for companies like PayPal to demonetise individuals or organisations for political reasons and was brought up in light of a series of politically charged account closures from PayPal.

The Free Speech Union (FSU), an organisation that defends people who have lost work or been canceled for expressing their opinions, and the Daily Sceptic news site, saw their accounts closed. Both were founded by the Associate Editor of The Spectator, Toby Young.

During the same period, the online payment system also shut down the account of UsForThem, a campaigning group that advocated for children to be prioritised during the COVID-19 pandemic, and which continues to lobby for children’s well-being.

Eventually, PayPal reinstated the accounts, a few days after leading British MPs called the ban an “orchestrated, politically-motivated move.”

Hart told The Epoch Times by email that she withdrew the amendment, but insisted that the matter is not closed.

“I withdrew the amendment on the minister’s [Andrew Griffith, economic secretary to the Treasury] agreement that free speech and freedom of expression are vital, that financial censorship is wrong, and that New Clause 15 and the issue it raises needs to be looked at by the government in detail, especially in respect of the review into the Payment Services Regulations 2017 in January 2023,” said Hart.

Hart said she will be meeting Griffith to discuss a number of issues.

“Should the amendment be included in the Financial Services and Markets Bill? Does the Equality Act 2010 address this issue? Do the Payment Services Regulations 2017 already cover this issue and if so, were the regulations complied with by PayPal in the example raised, and is the current regime sufficient and how would the new clause interact with the existing regulatory regime?” she said.

The amendment could have seen the UK financial regulatory body getting involved if a payment service provider refused to supply a service to a customer over free speech issues.

However, Hart will also be discussing if the Financial Conduct Authority is the right body to adjudicate over matters of freedom of expression and free speech.

“If we do not progress the issue, I will be bringing the amendment back!” added Hart.