Freedom of Speech is our most fundamental human right that allows us to engage in an open and honest debate where the best ideas can be implemented for our future.

This right to express ourselves freely as people without censorship has marked the upward surge of civilisation for thousands of years.

Up until recently this right was guaranteed by governments, from the First Amendment of the United States Constitution in 1791, to the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, to Article 10 in the European Convention on Human Rights.

Unfortunately today, censorship has reared its ugly head in our digital communications, where trillion dollar technology companies make the rules about what we can and cannot say, and violate our human rights at will on a daily basis.

Which is why as your next Mayor of London, I will fight for the legislation of Digital Freedom of Speech and take these Silicon Valley technology companies to task.

I will demand that our fundamental human right to free speech be respected in all places, especially on our digital platforms, by demanding as citizens that we be allowed to:

• Access information, with video, blogs and social media being available in an uncensored format as long as content does not violate legislation. We believe that all adults possess sovereignty over their own bodies and can exercise their right to choose what information to consume
• Publish information, guaranteeing every citizen the right to upload information to any platform of their choice without being censored, banned, or deplatformed as long as these are not in violation of the law
• Exercise Freedom of the Press, respecting the right of any journalist to publish their views without being censored across digital platforms without exception

Campaigning for new legislation to protect Digital Freedom of Speech will create a “marketplace of ideas” where censorship is no longer permitted on our digital platforms, encouraging an open debate and discussion, where all points of view can be considered, argued, and contested so the best ideas can rise to the top.

We demand that our fundamental human right to free speech be respected in all environments, especially on our digital platforms and promise to work tirelessly to make this civil right a reality for the citizens of London and beyond.