Social media’s influence on the Southport riots has not been acted upon by the Government, a Labour former minister has said.
Nationwide disorder broke out last summer after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Anneliese Dodds warned “there are many other canaries choking down the coal mine”, as she spoke in a Commons debate for the first time since her resignation.
Ms Dodds resigned her position as international development minister earlier this year over the Government’s decision to cut foreign aid from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in the next two years.
Speaking from the backbenches, the MP for Oxford East said: “I do deeply regret that I cannot continue to serve in the Government that I campaigned for so long for, I wish my successors Baroness Chapman and Smith, all the very best.”
She added: “Last summer saw the worst racist riots in our country since the Second World War.
“None of us can forget those appalling scenes when racist thugs set fire to hotels knowing people remained inside, and all in the name of three poor, beautiful little girls, may they rest in peace.
“The policing and criminal justice response was swift, and I commend the Government for that.
“But in this case and others, the influence of social media has not been fully digested, let alone acted upon. And there are many other canaries choking down the coal mine, not least due to the growth and impact of violent online misogyny.”
“Policy must deal not with how things were 10 years ago, but with the reality of an online world, which is having huge offline consequences,” Ms Dodds told MPs.
The former minister also called for “structured dialogue” between the UK and the European Union on a digital policy to defend democracy.
She said: “We must work more closely with others seeking to protect their democracies, from Helsinki to Rio, Tallinn to Ottawa, Chisinau to Berlin.
“In that vein, paralleling the Prime Minister’s push for a UK-EU defence partnership, we surely also need a UK-EU structured dialogue on digital policy and the defence of our democracies.”
Elsewhere in the debate on the impact of digital platforms on the UK’s democracy, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood said influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate “came after” and “targeted” her online after she criticised X owner Elon Musk.
The Lagan Valley MP said: “Figures like Andrew Tate have built empires manipulating young men into their worlds of violent misogyny, lies and conspiracy, ingratiating himself with Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Does he care about men? Not a bit. He exploits them.”
She added: “The loudest free speech warriors are the first to silence criticism. I know this personally.
“After I called out Elon Musk for platforming extremism, Tate’s followers immediately descended on me with the flood of abuse and harassment that was not random. That was a deliberate attempt to silence an elected representative.
“I was bombarded with death threats, rape jokes and abuse from accounts both local and international.
“Then the Tate brothers themselves came after me. Two men running from the most serious criminal charges, propped up by the world’s most powerful leaders, and they targeted me, an elected representative from Northern Ireland, for daring to speak my mind.
“It wasn’t even about them, it was about Musk. But it was a calculated attempt to silence an elected politician. I was, in their words, ‘a nice target’. A direct attack on democracy and this House itself.
“But this is not just about individuals. It is about democracy. We have seen a deliberate organised effort to create an online environment where extremism flourishes, where intimidation becomes the norm, and where women, minorities and political opponents are driven out of public life.”
Tate’s lawyer Joseph McBride said her allegations were “fantastical poppycock”.
He went on: “She’s one of many UK-based politicians who fail to understand that freedom of speech is essential for democracy’s success.
“She speaks about democracy’s importance with one side of her mouth while labeling opposing views as extremist with the other.
“Young men worldwide despise this kind of doublethink and the fact that they’re viewed with suspicion for being born with testicles.
“In summary, MP Sorcha Eastwood is strengthening Tate’s position, not weakening it.”
Speaking to the PA news agency before the debate, Ms Eastwood said Sir Keir Starmer’s move to show Netflix drama Adolescence in secondary schools shows the Government is “out of touch” and “blind” to concerns.
Ms Eastwood continued: “It’s already clear that the Online Safety Act isn’t robust enough. These companies will only respond to what they understand, and that’s money and that’s cash, and that’s hitting them where it hurts, right in the pocket.”
Technology minister Feryal Clark thanked Ms Eastwood for sharing her experiences and said there is “no place” for the abuse she has received.
She said: “The Government is committed to combating violence against women and girls and the Online Safety Act requires Ofcom to develop and enforce guidance for tech companies, and this guidance aims to ensure that platforms implement measures to reduce harm to women and girls online.
“The Act imposes a legal responsibility on online platforms – including social media platforms, gaming platforms, dating apps and search engines – to protect users from illegal content and material harmful to children and addressing issues that disproportionately affect women and girls.”
On Southport, Ms Clark said: “During the unrest last year, the department worked with major platforms to tackle content contributing to that disorder. This included proactively referring content for platforms to assess and act on it, in line with their terms of service.
“And through our engagement we have been very clear that social media platforms should not be waiting for the Online Safety Act to come into action and they should be actively removing harmful content.”
