US state department says Labour government ‘repeatedly intervened to chill speech’ online after Southport attack
The Trump administration has accused the UK of backsliding on human rights over the past year, citing antisemitic violence and “serious restrictions” on free speech.
The annual US state department assessment, which analyses human rights conditions worldwide, highlighted laws limiting speech around abortion clinics, as well as the way government officials “repeatedly intervened to chill speech” online after the 2024 Southport attack.
The report stated: “The government sometimes took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, but prosecution and punishment for such abuses was inconsistent.”
The report cited the “safe access zones” around abortion clinics, which it said “could include prohibitions on efforts to influence … even through prayer or silent protests”.
