British MP Lisa Cameron on Bitcoin and the UK becoming international crypto hub

by · October 25, 2022

The UK may be warming up to Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto. After taking time out from Scotland’s first major Bitcoin conference, Cointelegraph spoke to Lisa Cameron, an MP who spends more and more time working on digital assets. Cameron told Cointelegraph:

“I’ve talked to companies that are involved in CBDCs and stablecoins. We’ve looked at crypto tokens, and Bitcoin is obviously part of the sector.”

As the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (areas in Scotland), Cameron works in Westminster – a metonym for the Parliament of Great Britain. She rubs shoulders with the new crypto-curious Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

Cameron is also Chair of The Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The forum discusses, “The challenges and opportunities related to the crypto sector and explores the need for future regulation of the sector.”

Although the creation of the APPG suggests that Bitcoin and crypto may make it mainstream, the future of money remains a topic of discussion in the UK. Interest in “digital assets” waxes and wanes with the crypto bear and bull runs.

A Royal Mint nonfungible token (NFT) was recently floated by then Chancellor, now Prime Minister, Sunak, and the Bitcoin and crypto community is increasingly vocal in response to rising inflation rates. However, UK regulators have also cracked down on crypto ads and questioned the creation of digital asset laws.

UK MP Lisa Cameron talks to Cointelegraph’s Joe Hall

For politicians in such an environment, Cameron mentioned the importance of education in Parliament. Cameron explained:

“We’re on a learning curve and that’s just very, very important because the UK government has a policy vision that the UK will become an international hub for cryptocurrency and digital assets.”

The Scot told Cointelegraph from his home country that the key issue is consumer protection. It is about looking at regulatory frameworks going forward in the UK. In a nod to treating Bitcoin differently from other cryptocurrencies, Cameron continued:

“From my understanding and from the session we’ve had at the Bitcoin conference, you know, some of it is related to Bitcoin, some of it maybe not so much because of the decentralized nature of it.”

Days after the conference, Cameron took to the stand in Parliament to pitch Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to discuss Britain’s vision of becoming a global crypto hub.

Cameron mentioned her attendance at the UK Bitcoin Conference and Digital Assets Summit as part of her request.

Related: UK Inflation Rate Hits 10.1%, UK Bitcoin Community Responds

Personally, Cameron admitted that she doesn’t have any crypto personally — and joked that she wouldn’t become a Bitcoin maximalist anytime soon: “That would skew the report. It might, you know, mean I’m less objective.”

When asked if she preferred time spent at the crypto- and NFT-friendly Digital Assets Summit or the Bitcoin conference on her home turf in Edinburgh, she mentioned, “I’m leaning a little bit towards my hometown,” though she a conference in London and a conference in Scotland’s capital is a good thing: “They complement each other.”

This interview is part of an upcoming Cointelegraph Youtube interview. Subscribe here.