Tech giants are ‘failing to behave’ and danger inflicting a ‘second Southport’ atrocity if they don’t take away sick movies that would ‘encourage’ future terror assaults on British soil, Yvette Cooper warns

The Home Secretary has called on social media companies to urgently remove harmful content that could inspire further violence, following the conviction of Axel Rudakubana. 

Yvette Cooper voiced concerns that the extreme videos watched by the killer could lead to a ‘second Southport’, warning that social media firms were ‘failing to act’ in taking down dangerous material. 

Rudakubana, who was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison this week, had viewed footage of an Islamist terror attack on a bishop in Australia and illegally downloaded an al-Qaeda manual before carrying out his attack.

Cooper, along with Science Secretary Peter Kyle, has written to major tech companies including Google, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) urging them to remove illegal content that remains online despite repeated warnings.

The letter, seen by the Telegraph, highlighted that the al-Qaeda manual, part of a list of materials used in terror trials, remains accessible, and called for action to prevent further access to such content. 

The ministers also pressed for the removal of the video showing the attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, which is still available in the UK, even though it had been taken down in Australia.

‘This is an urgent matter,’ the ministers said, ‘the ease of access to such content is unacceptable, and we must act now to prevent further harm.’

Yvette Cooper voiced concerns that the extreme videos watched by the killer could lead to ‘second Southport’, warning that social media firms were ‘failing to act’ in taking down dangerous material

Authorities may have missed several attempts to stop Rudakubana before he murdered three children and attempted to murder eight other youngsters and two adults in Blackpool last summer when he was aged just 17

Despite the upcoming Online Safety Act, which will strengthen regulations and require tech companies to remove illegal content from their platforms by March, Ms Cooper and Mr Kyle argued that there is a ‘moral responsibility’ for these companies to act immediately.

Rudakubana’s search history, which was crucial in the investigation, was largely deleted before he carried out the murders. 

Police were able to access some devices in his home, but the main computer, believed to have been used for his search activity, was inaccessible. 

The only trace of his internet history was a search on X for the bishop’s stabbing, and police faced difficulties getting further information from US-based companies.

While no clear political or religious ideology was identified by authorities, the incomplete search history means Rudakubana’s motivations remain unclear. 

X reportedly refused to take down the footage of the bishop’s attack, despite multiple requests from Australian authorities.

Cooper, along with Science Secretary Peter Kyle (above), has written to major tech companies including Google , TikTok , X (formerly Twitter), and Meta

The knife that was used in the attack 

The case has raised concerns about the ease with which people, including minors, can obtain dangerous weapons. 

Rudakubana had purchased the knife used in the killings from Amazon when he was 17, despite a history of violent offences and multiple admissions to carrying knives.

In response, Cooper is considering new measures that would require online retailers to verify the identity of customers purchasing knives, possibly requiring two forms of ID and a video check to confirm the buyer’s age.

She doubled down on comments made previously where she told tech giants the Government would not tolerate them ‘profiting from hosting content that puts children’s lives at risk’.

Adding that an ‘online ecosystem’ was ‘radicalising our children while safety measures are whittled away’.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also condemned the availability of knives, stating that it remains ‘shockingly easy’ for young people to acquire deadly weapons. He has called for urgent changes to the law.