MPs pass Digital Economy Bill

MPs voted the Digital Economy Bill through despite widespread protests

The Digital Economy Bill was rushed through its third reading last night in the 'wash ups' by 189 votes to 47, despite protests from MPs on all sides of the House.

In a heated Commons debate, former cabinet office minister and Labour MP Tom Watson accused the government of rushing the Bill through parliament, and said that its wording needed to be more carefully considered.

"The speed with which we have had to submit amendments and consider our thoughts on the amendments to this Bill has been at light speed, and people looking in will find this baffling, much as many of us have," he said.

"The wording in the Bill makes it sounds as if there is an assumption of liability when it comes to people receiving notifications.

"I feel certain that the House, straight after the election, could consider all these clauses again and give it the scrutiny it deserves."

Watson also questioned the figures quoted by creative industry lobbying groups to back up their assertion that illegal file sharing is causing them to lose money.

"We have been given a whole host of what I feel are bogus financial economic predictions by lobby groups about the effects of illegal file sharing," he said.