Labour triggers Belfast attack censorship row as it sets out plans for new crackdown on social media content 'in times of crisis'

By JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 16:50, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 16:51, 10 June 2026 Social media is to face new curbs during ‘times of crisis’ like the Belfast attack. Technology secretary Liz Kendall has unveiled plans to amend online safety laws to allow regulator Ofcom to impose a crackdown at times of heightened social and political tension. The move will allow Ofcom to require tech firms to take tougher action on material that could ‘incite violence or disorder’. It follows growing anger among ministers about Elon Musk’s ability to ‘amplify’ public concern over incidents like Henry Nowak’s murder and this week’s knife attack in Belfast. But it also threatens to trigger a major row about censorship – and a potential clash with the White House over free speech. In a statement posted on Mr Musk’s X site, Ms Kendall said: ‘Those who use social media to incite violence and disorder are breaking the law. Next week we will lay in Parliament an update to the Online Safety Act requiring services to take quicker action to remove illegal content circulating during times of crisis.’ She added: ‘I have explicitly asked Ofcom to discuss urgently with X and other platforms how they will comply with the Online Safety Act.’ Government sources said the move would cover any material which Ofcom considers might incite violence or disorder.  Ministers are targeting Elon Musk over posts about the Belfast attack and Henry Nowak Stormy weather: Liz Kendall's social media crackdown risks a free speech row with the White House This would include direct calls to violence but could be drawn much wider. It would be up to the regulator to determine whether material such as graphic footage of the Belfast attack, would be included. It is unclear who will determine what constitutes a ‘time of crisis’. The prominent Reform UK politician Matt Goodwin urged ministers to focus on dealing with the causes of public anger rather than trying to police social media. ‘It’s not social media that’s “inflaming tensions”,’ he said. ‘It’s not Elon Musk. It’s not Nigel Farage. It’s not the “far-right”. It is the very deliberate policy of mass uncontrolled immigration and open borders. This policy has to end or it will destroy Western nations.’ Mr Musk responded to Mr Goodwin with a one-word post, saying: ‘Exactly.’ But Labour Party chair Anna Turley said Mr Musk should stay out of sensitive political events like the Belfast attack. Speaking before Ms Kendall’s announcement, she told Times Radio: ‘He's not a victim… he's not living in the kind of communities where we're seeing this kind of activity. He's not at risk. It's mums and families and people living in those homes in Belfast and on the streets of Britain who are at risk. ‘He has a responsibility - everyone in public and civil life has a responsibility to call for calm and not to stoke grievance or hatred or division or tension that puts vulnerable people and our communities at risk.’ Asked if the government could censor social media, she said: ‘I'm not going to get into that, but I think the government will look at everything. We know that we are concerned about the impact on democracy, of some of the disinformation and misinformation that is circulating on social media. We absolutely have to have a look at bad faith actors, about some of the foreign interference that is used by social media to stoke civil unrest. So we have to look at the whole spectrum of this.’ Mr Musk has posted a series of messages about the Belfast attack on his X site.  He shared a pro-deportation message from Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe containing a graphic image of the alleged Belfast attacker, alongside the caption: 'Millions must go.'  He also shared a post from far-right leader Tommy Robinson setting out a schedule of protests around the UK, adding his own caption: 'Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!' In the Commons, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called for action against ‘extremists who exploit that grief and anger to spread hatred and violence, aided and abetted by social media barons like Elon Musk and their divisive algorithms’. Addressing Keir Starmer, he said: ‘Does the Prime Minister agree this is not who we are as a country, and that it is not free speech if it is controlled by tech billionaires and their algorithms? ‘So, will he crack down properly on platforms like X that are fuelling violence and hatred?’ Sir Keir responded: ‘We will crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division.’ The Prime Minister’s official spokesman pointed to fines issued by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act and nearly 100 investigations launched under it, as well as action taken against chatbot Grok earlier this year. ‘And we’ve always said that that Act is the start, not the end of the conversation,’ he said, referring to the legislation designed to protect people online. Ofcom said some of the disorder in Belfast ‘appears to have been incited online,’ adding: ‘This has included racially motivated incidents of violence, arson attacks on homes and vehicles, and attacks against police.’ The watchdog said it was contacting specific providers – although it would not confirm which ones – ‘where we believe there are specific risks around the presence of illegal content relating to the civil unrest’. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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