Sorcha Eastwood MP: speeches

Speeches

• 11 Jun 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  With your indulgence, Mr Speaker, I will briefly pay tribute to the Police Service of Northern Ireland for tackling the public disorder in Northern Ireland over the last two nights, with over 30 police officers injured. I am sure the whole House will want to join me in that, and in condemning the racist violence. Whether it is the cardiac scandal at the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast, the cervical smear scandal at the Southern trust, the covid bereaved families or the crash of Chinook ZD576, all of which have impacted my constituents in Lagan Valley, the common thread here is that families simply wanted the truth, but they were let down by institutions at every cut and turn. Will this Government urgently introduce a duty of candour Bill, and ensure that it reflects what the “Hillsborough Law Now” campaigners and families have fought so very hard for?

• 3 Apr 2025 · UK Democracy: Impact of Digital Platforms · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for her comments, and I completely agree that that is the bare minimum that they should do. A report by Hope Not Hate found that almost 90% of boys aged 16 to 18 in the UK have consumed content from Andrew Tate. On Elon Musk’s X, a platform that has dismantled its trust and safety teams, Tate’s videos dominate young men’s feeds. If we allow this climate to continue, we are handing digital platforms the power to dictate political debate, poison young minds and do irreparable damage to our democracy. Of course, the loudest free speech warriors are the first to silence criticism, as I know from personal experience. After I called out Elon Musk for platforming extremism, Tate’s followers immediately descended on me with a flood of abuse and harassment. That was not random; it was a deliberate attempt to silence an elected representative. I was bombarded with death threats, rape jokes and abuse from accounts both local and international. Then the Tate brothers themselves came after me—two men running from the most serious criminal charges and propped up by the world’s most powerful leaders. They targeted me, an elected representative from Northern Ireland, for daring to speak my mind. It was not even about them—it was about Musk—but it was a calculated attempt to silence an elected politician. I was, in their words, “a nice target”. It was a direct attack on democracy and on this House itself. This is not just about individuals; it is about democracy. We have seen a deliberate, organised effort to create an online environment where extremism flourishes, where intimidation becomes the norm, and where women, minorities and political opponents are driven out of public life.