Labour Deputy Leader Calls for Tough Social Media Restrictions During Elections

Max Thompson, Campaigns Officer

7 July 2026

If the Government was not content just with banning under-sixteens from accessing social media platforms and deciding what news sources were "trustworthy," Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell wants to go even further.

Powell is the current deputy leader of the Labour Party and a close ally of our Prime Minister-in-waiting, Andy Burnham. As part of what has been dubbed the "Manc mafia," speculation is growing around Westminster that she will become our next Deputy Prime Minister.

She has now said that she wishes to impose legal duties on online platforms like Facebook and X similar to the impartiality rules broadcasters face during elections. In essence, Powell is seeking to censor social media platforms — where a growing number of people receive their news — during election periods.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Powell said:

"Today, millions of people get their news from social media, yet our laws have not kept pace.

"The biggest influence on what many voters see during election campaigns is not a TV news bulletin, it's social media feeds decided by opaque algorithms, where falsehoods, deepfakes and co-ordinated mis and disinformation can spread at alarming speed, with real-world consequences.

"Freedom of expression is fundamental to our democracy.

"These proposals are not about policing political opinions or censoring legitimate political debate.

"They are about asking how we can make sure the public can make informed choices based on accurate information."

It tends to be the case that if you have to say out loud that your policy is not about clamping down on freedom of speech and censoring open political debate, it almost certainly is.

Powell has identified the Representation of the People Bill, due to have its final stages in the House of Commons on 14 July, as the legislative vehicle she can commandeer to enact her censorious plan. The Free Speech Union had already earmarked the Representation of the People Bill as legislation of significant concern, as we always thought it would throw up some nasty surprises as it progressed through Parliament.

While Keir Starmer is set to leave Downing Street on 20 July, it looks as though the Burnham operation will be as hostile to free speech as Starmer's administration — or even more so. Powell has said:

"We've got this big elections bill going through Parliament at the moment, which is doing some great things like votes at sixteen and clamping down on overseas donations.

"And I think that's a really good opportunity for us to really think about and strengthen that bill to ensure that there are at least some, if not as tight as it is for broadcasters, but I would argue it should be some, regulations around social media, around what information and news they can amplify and share during election time if it's not been checked for its accuracy or balance."

Powell’s plan also raises serious practical questions. Would individuals be prevented from expressing political views on social media during elections? The Free Speech Union also cannot see how such restrictions could realistically apply only to UK citizens. Surely they would have to extend to overseas users as well? President Trump and JD Vance would almost certainly have something to say about that.

This all seems to be part of Labour’s explanation for why it is struggling in the polls. Rather than recognising that people are concerned about issues such as mass uncontrolled migration, higher taxes, unemployment and soaring energy bills, Labour ministers appear to believe that voters are simply being misled by misinformation and disinformation on platforms such as X.

Just before Powell's intervention, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy — another close ally and constituency neighbour of Andy Burnham — dramatically quit X and took her government department with her, a move Powell praised. Nandy cited the reason for her departure as the increased abuse and spread of misinformation and disinformation across the platform, branding this a threat to both democracy and free speech.

Nandy was also in the House of Commons less than two weeks ago, announcing plans under the Government's new green paper, Watch This Space, to force social media companies to prioritise what it deems "trustworthy" news sources.

Ironically, both Powell and Nandy, now apparent lovers of democracy and free speech, remained audibly silent when the Starmer administration initially tried to cancel a string of local elections earlier this year. They also appeared rather indifferent to the numerous other assaults on free speech and our ancient liberties enacted by this Government, such as plans to curb our right to trial by jury.

The Government has made no bones about its dislike of Elon Musk's X, a social media platform designed to promote freedom of speech. Earlier this year, the Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, said she would be prepared to block British citizens from accessing the platform altogether.

While Starmer may be packing his bags, the Burnham government is set to be even more censorious. We are enduring soviet-style censorship in today’s Britain.

Read more in The Telegraph and watch General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Lord Young, react to Labour’s war on free speech online.