London Mayor Sadiq Khan Calls for Government Unit to Combat Social Media Disinformation

London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned of a 'disinformation blizzard' targeting the city. He described disinformation as portraying London as a city in decline and linked it to offline harm. Khan made these remarks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit on April 10, 2026.

Khan stated that the 'outrage economy' on social media is eroding trust in societies. He called for urgent action from social media companies and the government to address the issue. Disinformation about London has become a global industry, according to Khan.

Push for New Regulatory Body Khan advocated for a new central body with authority to protect democracy from disinformation.

He said this unit should handle the scale and speed of the crisis. Additionally, he pushed for more aggressive enforcement of existing rules by regulators like Ofcom. Khan emphasized that regulators need powers to impose significant penalties on non-compliant platforms.

He plans to lobby the government publicly and privately for a tougher approach. If platforms fail to act, the state must have tools to compel them, Khan said. > "We’re right to expect big tech to do better, but we should not rely on it.

If platforms fail to act, the state must have the tools to make them.

Concerns from Civil Liberties Groups Big Brother Watch stated that disinformation is a real problem but warned that the term risks political exploitation by governments.

The group highlighted Khan's call for a state-backed unit to crack down on social media posts criticizing London. They noted past exposures of counter-disinformation efforts. ZeroHedge reported crime statistics under Khan's tenure since 2016, including a 27% increase in knife crime and a 109% rise in shoplifting.

These figures came from Metropolitan Police data cited in social media posts. BBC News did not mention crime statistics in its coverage. Khan suggested that attacks on London could extend to other cities worldwide.

He described London as a potential 'canary in the coal mine' for global disinformation trends. Khan expressed hope that the city would lead the fightback against such narratives.

Broader Implications Khan noted that the challenge affects everyone who believes in democracy, not just progressives.

He connected online disinformation directly to offline harm in his summit speech. The mayor closed replies on his X posts announcing these views.