‘A total disgrace’ that extreme content viewed by Southport killer still on social media, says Yvette Cooper
2 February 2025, 12:58 | Updated: 2 February 2025, 14:44
Yvette Cooper's told LBC it is a "total disgrace" that extreme videos and content viewed by the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana are still available online and that tech companies should ‘take responsibility’.
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The home secretary told Sunday Morning with Lewis Goodall on LBC that tech companies have a ‘moral responsibility’ to remove harmful and extreme content from their sites.
Ms Cooper revealed discussions are ‘underway’ with the companies, but that some of those materials are still online despite her request.
She said: “I think it's a total disgrace that some of this material is still available online. Some of these are illegal, clearly illegal images, clearly illegal material.
"For example, the manual that the perpetrator was prosecuted and convicted for holding, and also material that it appears he looked at on the way to the attack.”
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, who was sentenced to 52 years in jail last month, pleaded guilty to possessing an Al Qaeda training manual which he found online.
He was also found to have searched for a video of a knife attack on a bishop in Sydney, Australia, in April last year, right before leaving home and committing the attack.
In her letter to tech companies, Ms Cooper said the ease with which "such dangerous and illegal" content can be viewed was "unacceptable", and promised stronger measures.
She told LBC on Sunday that ‘new, stronger enforcement’ will come into effect with the Online Safety Act, which will be implemented later this year.
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The Home Secretary said: “I just think there is a moral responsibility on these tech companies to act now when you have got the most horrendous crime, the most unimaginable crime, think they should take responsibility and remove this material.”
She added: “I think this is about respect for families, respect for communities, respect for victims of crime, sometimes including the most horrendous crimes.
“We're also talking about tech companies who have such sophistication, you know, the way in which they can target all kinds of ads, they've got all sorts of algorithms, they've got huge amounts of money.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper joins Lewis Goodall | Watch again
“They can use that sophistication and that technology to do more to keep people safe.”
Ms Cooper also said the Online Safety Act will allow Ofcom to ‘take action’ if the platforms don’t remove illegal material, threatening social media platforms that the government is ‘prepared to go further’.
Yesterday, the Home Secretary outlined government plans to crack down on AI-genreated online child sexual abuse, as reports of such content on the internet soar.
As part of the plans, owning AI tools designed to make images of child sexual abuse will become a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in jail.
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The move comes as predators are using AI to ‘nudify’ real-life images of children by stitching their faces onto existing images of abuse, according to the government.
Fake images are also being used by paedophiles to blackmail children and force them to livestream further abuse.
Ms Cooper believes that these acts can echo into real life, saying: “We know that sick predators' activities online often lead to them carrying out the most horrific abuse in person.”
"This Government will not hesitate to act to ensure the safety of children online by ensuring our laws keep pace with the latest threats."
