UK lawmakers urge new law in campaigning in digital age

LONDON – An influential British parliamentary committee has urged the government to urgently bring forward new laws addressing campaigning techniques in the digital age, insisting that democracy itself is under threat without speedy action.

Committee Chairman Damian Collins is accusing the government of ignoring key recommendations in an earlier report on fake news and says it is moving on a timetable fit for 2021 or 2022 — the scheduled date of the next major election. But Britain’s pending departure from the European Union has tossed the country into political turmoil, and it is possible an election could take place sooner.

Collins said Tuesday that “political campaigns are fought online, not through the letter box and our laws need to be brought up to date with the digital age.”