The Labour Party Annual Conference 2025

SME4Labour and Index on Censorship fringe: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ENCRYPTION: SECURING A FUTURE FOR UK TECH AND SMES

Encryption is a critical technology that protects our data, both enabling the UK tech sector to scale, while also keeping the public safe from cyber attacks and criminals. With threats to encryption on the horizon globally, and calls to break end-to-end encryption in the UK, how can we protect fundamental human rights as well as the UK’s world-class tech industry?

Join Index on Censorship, Startup Coalition and leading UK tech experts to discuss how smart digital regulation can strike a balance between securing our economy and growth; safeguarding freedom of speech; and supporting SMEs and the wider tech sector to innovate.

Speakers:

• Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham
• Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO, Index on Censorship
• Vinous Ali, Deputy Executive Director, Startup Coalition
• James Ball, Political Editor, The New World

Chair: Lord David Evans

The SME4Labour and Index on Censorship fringe session, We Need to Talk About Encryption: Securing a Future for UK Tech and SMEs, brought together policymakers, tech leaders, and journalists to discuss the critical role of encryption in protecting privacy, fostering innovation, and safeguarding democracy. Chaired by Lord David Evans, the panel addressed the mounting global pressures to weaken end-to-end encryption, and the implications this could have for UK businesses, citizens, and human rights.

James Ball opened by highlighting the essential nature of encryption for investigative journalism and whistleblower protection. He emphasised that end-to-end encryption safeguards not just privacy but also security, reducing the risk of data breaches, hacking, and misuse by state and non-state actors alike. Ball warned that weakening encryption under the guise of “good intentions” would create vulnerabilities for everyone, not just criminals.

Rokhsana Fiaz discussed encryption from the perspective of local government and community engagement. She stressed the importance of data literacy and safeguarding sensitive personal information across services such as social care, housing, and health. Fiaz highlighted how secure communications empower residents while ensuring civil liberties are maintained in a digital-first public sector.

Jemimah Steinfeld reinforced the fundamental link between encryption and freedom of expression. Drawing on her global experience, she illustrated how authoritarian regimes exploit unprotected communications to suppress dissent. Steinfeld argued that maintaining robust encryption is essential to protect vulnerable individuals and enable open, secure dialogue worldwide.

Vinous Ali focused on the tech and SME perspective, underlining the importance of encrypted communications for startups and small businesses. She noted that secure digital infrastructure builds trust between consumers and companies and is pivotal for UK competitiveness in global technology markets. Breaking encryption could discourage investment, undermine innovation, and weaken the “startup flywheel” that drives growth and job creation.

The discussion emphasised three key themes: encryption as a safeguard for democracy and civil liberties, its commercial and technological necessity for SMEs and the wider UK tech ecosystem, and the legal and ethical challenges of regulating secure communications. The panel concluded that a secure, encrypted digital environment is not a barrier but a foundation for both innovation and the protection of fundamental rights.

Bios

Rokhsana Fiaz OBE ,Mayor of Newham  

Rokhsana Fiaz OBE has served as the Executive Mayor of Newham since May 2018 and was re-elected to serve a second 4-year term in May 2022 and deliver her Building a Fairer Newham plan.  

She is the portfolio lead for Inclusive Economy and Strategic Housing Delivery, Climate Emergency; and Performance and Transformation. This includes inclusive growth, data and AI, community wealth building, culture, place and economic regeneration, planning and development; as well as driving an ambitious social housing programme to deliver 1,500 homes people can afford.  

She is also the London Council’s Executive Member for Skills and Employment, co-chair of the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone and chair of the Growth and Recovery Board of the sub-regional body Local London. Previously she was the CEO of an international UNESCO supported charity promoting interfaith and global citizenship across the world. She has led large-scale capital projects for local authorities, the European Commission and the Council of Europe, and in 2009 was honoured with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Black and Minority Communities in the UK. 

James Ball, Political Editor, The New World (Chair)

James Ball is an award-winning journalist and author who is currently Political Editor at The New World (formerly The New European) and fellow at the think tank Demos. He has previously held roles at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and BuzzFeed UK, as well as The Guardian, where he played a key role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the NSA leaks by Edward Snowden. 

Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO, Index on Censorship

Jemimah Steinfeld is a writer, editor, and CEO of Index on Censorship, a not-for-profit that campaigns for and defends freedom of expression. Since 1972, Index on Censorship has published censored writers and artists worldwide. Jemimah has written on a wide range of topics, with a particular focus on youth culture, gender, and censorship.

Vinous Ali, Deputy Executive Director, Startup Coalition

Vinous Ali is Deputy Executive Director at Startup Coalition. Vinous joined Startup Coalition from Public First where she built the technology practice and then spearheaded the company's US expansion. She formerly led techUK's domestic policy work after years working at the heart of Westminster in various political roles. Vinous has completed a fellowship on the future of work at Cambridge's Centre for Science and Policy and is a fully fledged techno-optimist.