Wes Streeting, the former health secretary and apparent frontrunner in the 'Who Gets to Challenge Keir Starmer Next' sweepstakes, has called for urgent action against X and other online platforms that have allegedly been whipping up social tensions. His suggestion: force them to contribute to rebuilding costs after the riots in Belfast. Because nothing says 'accountability' like a bill for broken windows.
Streeting's intervention comes after Downing Street punted the matter to Ofcom, the media regulator, which means no action for at least two months - roughly the same amount of time it takes for a viral outrage to be forgotten. Condemning what he called 'the forces of darkness online and offline,' Streeting noted that X, including posts from its trillionaire owner Elon Musk, has been calling for an angry response to a knife attack in Belfast. This follows a similar pattern of incitement before disorder in Southampton over the case of Henry Nowak, a teenage student falsely accused of racist abuse by his murderer.
As if that weren't enough, X also hosted posts incorrectly naming two people as Hampshire police officers involved in Nowak's arrest, complete with addresses and charming sentiments like 'Wanted: dead or alive.' Streeting argued that incitement to violence is a crime offline, so it should be a crime online - a novel concept that somehow hasn't caught on. He proposed that platform bosses face criminal action and companies pay for cleaning up and rebuilding Belfast, 'along with the thugs on the ground.'
The Online Safety Act already requires social media companies to remove illegal posts, but enforcement is about as speedy as a tortoise in molasses. X has agreed to send quarterly compliance reports to Ofcom, but the first isn't due for at least two months. Ministers also plan to amend the act to require faster removal of inflammatory content during riots, but that won't take effect until mid-July at the earliest - just in time for the next crisis.
In contrast, when X was flooded with sexualized images generated by its Grok AI tool, Starmer threatened to block the platform in the UK unless it took urgent action. X promptly stopped the tool. Asked why similar action wasn't taken over riot-inciting posts, Downing Street pointed to Ofcom's existing enforcement powers, which have resulted in some platforms being fined. A No 10 spokesperson said they condemn anyone attempting to stoke division or incite violence, and that platforms have 'clear responsibilities in law' to remove illegal content. Because that's been working so well.