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UK govt to track anti-migrant content shared on social media platforms
Plans for the so-called National Internet Intelligence Investigations team, which will sit within the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) in London, were disclosed in a letter to MPs on July 17, 2025. The letter came in response to a House of Commons Home Affairs Committee inquiry into last year's violent unrest in Southport.
'We are carefully considering recommendations made by the \[Commons Home Affairs] committee and HMICFRS \[His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services] in this area, including building a National Internet Intelligence Investigations team as part of the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC),' Johnson wrote.
'This team will provide a national capability to monitor social media intelligence and advise on its use to inform local operational decision-making. This will be a dedicated function at a national level for exploiting internet intelligence to help local forces manage public safety threats and risks,' she said.
Triggered by online rumours
The move follows a series of protests outside asylum hotels in towns such as Norwich, Leeds and Bournemouth. Last year's riots were sparked by online misinformation about the immigration status of Axel Rudakubana, a Welsh-born man of Rwandan heritage who fatally stabbed three schoolgirls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July 2024.
The Commons committee report had called for a central policing system with 'enhanced capacity to monitor and respond to social media at the national level'.
HMICFRS, the police watchdog, said in its analysis that police had not kept pace with the 'fast-developing nature of online communications' and had become too 'passive' in tackling digital misinformation.
'The disorder in 2024 shows that policing needs to act now and be more responsive to those risks. It must recognise that online content could contain vital intelligence,' the watchdog said.
Pushback from Opposition
The proposal has prompted concerns over free speech from Opposition leaders and civil liberties groups.
'Two-tier Keir can't police the streets, so he's trying to police opinions instead. They're setting up a central team to monitor what you post, what you share, what you think, because deep down they know the public don't buy what they're selling,' said shadow home secretary Chris Philp in a social media post.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, told NewsWeek, 'This is the beginning of the state controlling free speech. It is sinister, dangerous and must be fought. Reform UK will do just that.'
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