# Lib Dems pitch tech levy for crime agency

> The Liberal Democrats propose taxing big tech companies to fund a new Online Crime Agency, as the party tries to raise its profile among voters.
- Title: Lib Dems pitch tech levy for crime agency · the Guardian
- Summary: The Liberal Democrats propose taxing big tech companies to fund a new Online Crime Agency, as the party tries to raise its profile among voters. The Liberal…
- Keywords: liberal democrats, ed davey, online crime agency, big tech levy, brighton conference, max wilkinson, voter awareness, child sexual abuse material, deepfake pornography, drug trafficking, news, world
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/20/lib-dems-use-conference-to-set-out-2bn-plan-to-cut-fuel-duty
- Published: 2026-09-20T21:30:38+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: liberal democrats, ed davey, online crime agency, big tech levy, brighton conference, max wilkinson, voter awareness, child sexual abuse material, deepfake pornography, drug trafficking, news, world
## Lib Dems announce crime agency plan
The Liberal Democrats will announce a new Online Crime Agency at their Brighton conference on Monday, funded by taxing large AI and technology companies.
## Agency targets multiple online offences
The Online Crime Agency will focus on child sexual abuse material, trafficking in drugs and weapons, and deepfake AI-generated pornographic images, according to home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson.
## Two hundred fifty million pound budget
The planned budget of two hundred fifty million pounds a year would be paid for by an online crime levy on large AI and technology companies.
## Wilkinson says tech firms must pay
Max Wilkinson will tell the conference it is time big tech companies picked up the bill for offences they had enabled through their platforms.

> time they picked up the bill
## Voters unaware of Lib Dem policies
Polling by More in Common showed just thirty nine percent of voters said they had an idea what the Lib Dems stood for, lower than every other major party including Restore Britain.
## Lib Dems lag in voter contact
Just sixteen percent of voters said they had heard from the Lib Dems in recent months, against sixty six percent for Reform, while three percent had seen Ed Davey on social media compared with twenty percent for Nigel Farage.
## Davey defends party's achievements
Ed Davey said the Lib Dems were making genuine change, pointing to winning council elections for eight years in a row, something that had never happened before.

> I'm talking about real change, not just talking about the bubbles
## Party seeks clearer national message
Some Lib Dem MPs say the party needs a message for the whole country, not just parts of it, with Tom Gordon noting the party holds just four of fifty eight southern seats in the north of England.

> If we want to be a party of government, then we need to have a message for the whole country, not just parts of it
## Key takeaway

The Liberal Democrats announced plans to tax big tech to fund a two hundred fifty million pound annual Online Crime Agency, amid concerns voters do not know what the party stands for.