PM Says Those Whipping Up Disorder Online Will Face "Full Force Of The Law"

Keir Starmer has said that he is “absolutely clear” that “criminal law applies online as well as offline”, as Number 10 warned that anybody whipping up violent disorder online will face the full force of the law.

The Prime Minister chaired a Cobra meeting on Monday morning in response to further public disorder and violence over the weekend. 

Social media and prison capacity were among the issues discussed at the meeting in Whitehall this morning, as police forces across the country have responded to disorder following a stabbing in Southport last week. 

Speaking to broadcasters after the meeting on Monday morning, Starmer said that “I’ve been absolutely clear that the criminal law applies online as well as offline.” 

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed that social media “was a topic of discussion at Cobra this morning” which was attended by Cabinet ministers including the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, as well as representatives from the police and prisons service. 

The spokesman told reporters: “Anyone who stokes this violence, whether on the internet or in person can be prosecuted and face prison.” 

He also said that there was “more” that firms “can and should be doing” and they “have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their users and online spaces, to ensure that crriminal activity is not being hosted on their platform.”

Number 10 also said this morning that there was “no justification” for the comments from X boss Elon Musk, who posted that “civil war is inevitable” over the weekend in repsponse to a social media user who was blaming migration for the rioting. 

Monday marked a week since the incident in Southport, and Starmer today paid tribute to the police officers who have