Starmer warns social media firms over misinformation sparking violent disorder

The Prime Minister has warned social platforms to respond to incitements of violence ‘happening on your premises’.

Officers walk past a burnt out police vehicle as they are deployed on the streets of Hartlepool (PA) (PA Wire)

Sir Keir Starmer has warned social media “carries responsibility” over tackling misinformation in the wake of violent protests around the country following the stabbings in Southport.

The Prime Minister said the Government would uphold the law everywhere, including online, where far-right groups have been accused of inciting violence and stirring division in the wake of the tragedy, which has led to unrest in Southport, London and Hartlepool.

Speaking directly to social media firms during a press conference in Downing Street, Sir Keir said: “Violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime, it’s happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere.

“That is the single most important duty of government, service rests on security. We will take all necessary action to keep our streets safe.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer answers questions during a press conference in Downing Street (Henry Nicholls/PA) (PA Wire)

But he added that it was important for Government and tech firms to “work together” to keep the country safe, saying government “blaming everybody else and pointing fingers” does not work well.

The Prime Minister said “there is a discussion to be had” about companies striking the “right balance”, warning social media “carries responsibility”, but suggested he wanted to “work together” to keep the country safe.

He added: “What has not worked well recently with the previous government, in my view, is the performative politics of a government blaming everybody else and pointing fingers. That approach to me is not effective.

“My approach is different, which is to roll my sleeves up, get the relevant people around the table and fix the problems, and meet the challenges that we have as a country.

“We did that with law enforcement and police this afternoon – similar approach with social media, which is not performative politics which gets us nowhere, but the politics of service, which is to actually work together to address the challenges that we have and make sure that we keep the country safe and respect the values of our fellow citizens, which are about law enforcement, security and safety.”

Earlier this week, Merseyside Police issued a warning over the spreading online of an “incorrect” name for the Southport attacker – now named as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana – and a false story around his background.

People attending the ‘Enough is Enough’ protest in Westminster (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, highlighted a number of high-profile online figures, including Laurence Fox and former kickboxer Andrew Tate, who were “sharing that false information” on X, formerly Twitter.

A number of experts said this misinformation had been used by a “vocal minority” to sow division and “fuel their own agenda and trigger a summer of thrill-seeking impulsive insurrection” following violent disorder in Southport, London and Hartlepool in the days since the attack.

John Coxhead, a professor of policing at Staffordshire University, said groups were being “cynically stirred up by opportunistic populists with nothing better to do”.

Social media giant X has come under increased scrutiny since being taken over by billionaire Elon Musk in late 2022.

Mr Musk’s approach to running the platform has been heavily criticised after he substantially cut staff numbers and rowed back on the site’s verification and content moderation systems, claiming he wanted to allow “absolute free speech” on the site.

Under his leadership, the company has also restored the accounts of many figures previously banned for breaking site rules around hate speech, including far-right figures in the UK such as Tommy Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – and Katie Hopkins.

Since then, many users claim to have seen an increase in hateful content, as well as pornography and spam posts and accounts, despite Mr Musk claiming he would “defeat the bots” after taking over the company.