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Tory MP Mr Javid, whose brother Tariq took his own life four years ago, is calling for more action to tackle the suicide rate, which he said remains “stubbornly high”.<\/p>\n
He said: “It is an offence under the current Suicide Act to encourage or incite someone to kill themselves. But there’s a huge gap when it comes to covering digital communication.<\/p>\n
“We were all reminded of that just last week with the coroner’s report into the tragic death of Molly Russell.”<\/p>\n
Her father, Ian Russell, “had talked about it so powerfully – and so that needs to happen. But the Government’s taking too long.<\/p>\n
“When I was home secretary, alongside Jeremy Wright, the culture secretary, we introduced the White Paper on online harm, and here we are, four years later, nothing has happened.”<\/p>\n
The ex-chancellor spoke yesterday about how his family “just didn’t see it coming” when his eldest sibling, Tariq, took his own life in 2018 aged 51.<\/p>\n
Mr Javid said: “One day he was there, the next he was gone. I still think whether there was anything I could have done to save his life.”<\/p>\n
In 2021, more than 5,000 people took their own lives in the UK – three-quarters of them were men. Mr Javid said he felt that in some cases, a stigma around mental health prevented them from seeking help sooner.<\/p>\n
“There is a bit of a macho culture sometimes for men not to speak out,” he added. Mr Javid was talking to BBC Radio to mark World Mental Health Day.<\/p>\n
The delay in passing the Online Safety Bill has come into sharp focus following the death of Molly Russell, 14.<\/p>\n
A coroner ruled on September 30 that she took her life while suffering depression, saying that social media material contributed “more than minimally” to her death.<\/p>\n
New Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has reportedly said the Bill will return to Parliament “quickly” this autumn.<\/p>\n