Elon Musk has no mandate in this country and no genuine stake in its future. In recent months, he has also made remarks that fall far outside what is appropriate in responsible public discourse. Be it from a hostile state or a foreign billionaire, we cannot accept foreign interference in our democracy.

This year, my colleagues on the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee published a report on social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms. The report highlighted ongoing challenges with the regulation of social media and made recommendations to improve it. Our UK Labour Government welcomed this report and acknowledged the challenges posed by misinformation, especially when amplified through platform business models and design.

I support measures to improve the content on social media platforms, including protections introduced by the Online Safety Act. The Act’s illegal content duties came into force in March 2025, and require platforms to address and remove illegal content, including that which constitutes foreign interference or intimidation. Ministers are actively working to tackle misinformation and disinformation, and Ofcom now has enhanced duties to promote digital media literacy. Individuals must have a say over the content they are presented by algorithms, and the Government is clear that existing law supports this.

Ofcom and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continue to use data to understand how potentially harmful content is encountered on social media, and the impacts it has on users. This covers hate speech, disinformation, and content promoting extremism. In addition to this, the National Security Act 2023 gave law enforcement agencies the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats, including foreign interference. Further measures in the Online Safety Act also require companies to take action against a range of state-linked disinformation and interference online.

Protecting our democracy from foreign interference remains an absolute priority for the Government. The Defending Democracy Taskforce has powers to address the full spectrum of threats, and Ministers have committed to closely monitoring the implementation of the Online Safety Act to ensure it provides meaningful and lasting protection. They have also committed that, if required, they stand ready to strengthen the Act further to maintain the highest standards of online safety and democratic resilience.