UK Pushing for Social Media Powers in ‘Times of Crisis’

Critics warn the government is using disorder to expand online censorship, saying they ‘only want to prevent people from talking about the problem.’

Police and Fire Brigade personnel respond after protestors set fire to a bus on the Newtownards Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 9, 2026. Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

The UK government is preparing new powers to control content online during “times of crisis,” after unrest in Belfast was sparked by viral footage of an alleged knife attack by a Sudanese asylum-seeker, which left a local man with serious head and neck wounds.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said that next week, ministers will lay an update to the Online Safety Act before Parliament, requiring platforms to “take quicker action to remove illegal content circulating during times of crisis.”