The prime minister warns that owners of social media companies have a responsibility to stop disinformation spreading as they are fuelling the violence on Britain’s streets.
Billionaire media baron Elon Musk is engaged in a war of words with Sir Keir Starmer over the role social media has played in riots around the UK.
The X owner began to retweet posts a few days after the Southport stabbings and after the prime minister fired a warning shot to social media companies “and those who run them” about allowing users to whip up violent disorder online.
Since Sunday, Sir Keir and Musk have clashed a number of times over the issue.
Here is a timeline of the row:
Thursday 1 August
Following riots that broke out after the Southport stabbings, the prime minister appeared to blame social media for the spreading of false claims that the suspect was a Syrian asylum seeker who arrived in the UK last year via a small boat.
He said: “Let me also say to large social media companies and those who run them: violent disorder was clearly whipped up online.