Online Hate Speech

Baroness Berger Excerpts

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Berger]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of online hate speech.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (Baroness Lloyd of Effra) (Lab)]

Hateful online content impacts people and communities. Illegal hateful content can be used to incite violence and stoke public disorder. We have seen this across the UK. Even where legal, hate online can be used to divide communities. It can erode trust in public institutions and the media. The Government are clear that hatred or division, online or offline, will not be tolerated. We have both criminal offences and regulatory measures to prevent and punish this type of behaviour. We saw law enforcement use its powers to prosecute people for illegal online activity during the Southport riots, for example.

[Baroness Berger (Lab)]

My Lords, last month, X gave assurances to Ofcom, which were accepted, that it was taking steps to address illegal hate and harm on its platform. In light of the recent violence that we have seen in Belfast, and the role of X and its owner in inciting it, will the Government encourage Ofcom to revisit this judgment? Will the Minister also investigate the failure of X to remove five accounts which are breaking its terms of service by repeatedly posting anti-Jewish and Holocaust denial content?