This has been the strategy of every political party to hold office in the UK for as long as I've been alive.
There is always some privacy-defeating 'online safety' bill going through the parliament. Every time it gets knocked down, but almost immediately returns with slightly different wording.
Indeed, this is the standard playbook worldwide for people in power, especially:
1. Politicians in power that want to do something that is unpopular.
2. Corporations that want to implement an unpopular policy.
The evil genius part of it is that it not only allows them to test the temperature of the water, but also to:
1. Claim they are hearing the people and withdrew it, and even claim it as a victory.
2. Shift the Overton window so next time it comes up, people are desensitized.
3. Try again basically forever until they're able to get it passed.
4. Time it better around elections to avoid consequences. Voters have the memory of a goldfish, and are so party/identity-driven that it isn't hard to manipulate them.
It's the standard playbook for anyone who wants to be successful. Persistence is frequently cited as a crucial factor in success, and frequently celebrated in the back stories of stars in business, tech, sports, media, the arts, etc.
Persistence is so important because other people you're competing against are also persistent.
This is not specific to "people in power" and there is no special legislative trick to defeat it. If you care about something, you have to stand up for it, persistently.
They mean any party that's had majority control of parliament, they don't mean it's been used as a strategy to get there but rather once they're ruling it's been introduced
It's not what the comment meant, but worth adding that the UK security forces have wanted this ever since they lost the ability to read everyone's mail and listen to our calls. They actively lobby every sitting government for this kind of bill, and (I have no doubt) promise all kinds of support for politicians who push their agenda.
It's similar in concept to 'in power'. The government holds office, rather than it being in power. It's more to say that the power isn't derived from the government itself, but the office they are elected into.
Every government to hold office = every previous party that was elected and formed a government
There is always some privacy-defeating 'online safety' bill going through the parliament. Every time it gets knocked down, but almost immediately returns with slightly different wording.