Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell has accused Reform UK of undermining British democracy by spreading divisive material amplified by bots and troll farms. She called for tighter laws on social media giants to tackle the scourge of misinformation.
Writing in Babelfish and speaking to comedian Matt Forde, Powell argued that the online space is 'open to wealthy individuals, and bad state actors'. She highlighted multimillion-pound donations bolstering Reform's election war chest, funding powerful online campaigns.
A Reform spokesperson dismissed the claims as 'completely untrue', labelling Powell a 'conspiracy theorist desperately trying to distract from a failing Labour government'. They added: 'Rather than smearing voters and demanding more state censorship, Labour should be focused on fixing the messes they’ve created.'
Powell also expressed concern about misinformation reaching voters directly, saying: 'The echo chambers, the rabbit holes that people can go down and you get that on the doorstep.' She noted the need to regulate algorithms and the business models of big tech.
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said the government is considering stronger action during crises, referencing a parliamentary report calling for Ofcom to implement crisis response protocols. Powell, however, urged more decisive measures, describing the lack of regulation as a 'fundamental threat to our democracy'.
