Josh Simons MP: My response to the recent violence and disorder on our streets

What we've seen is part of a pattern. Vocal minorities too often stop the silent majority of law-abiding, hardworking people from going about their lives. Whether Just Stop Oil blocking motorways, protestors against the war in Gaza, or far-right thugs looting shops, small groups of people too often make life harder for communities across the UK.

Take the violence in Southport. After young girls were murdered at a Taylor Swift dance class, the community came together in grief and the police acted swiftly to arrest the perpetrator. But hundreds of criminals got on trains and buses, travelled to Southport, set the community ablaze, and attacked the police. Including at least one man from Wigan.

This government will always back decent people who work hard to get on, not criminals or vocal minorities who think they know best. Our Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood made more prison places available, got magistrates to sit through the night to convict people, and coordinated the police to arrest those involved across the country. We promised we would take back our streets and that is what we are doing.

I am proud that across the borough of Wigan, there were few instances of violence or unrest. As Lisa Nandy said, those who come to stir up hate are not welcome here. Yet there are lessons for us too.

One is about online spaces. When looking at social media like Facebook or X, it sometimes felt like there were many who supported the violence. But that was never the reality. The online world has an even bigger problem than the real one: it amplifies vocal minorities and erodes the trust ordinary people have in one another.

I worked in artificial intelligence in the technology sector. I learned an important lesson we must never forget: the online world is built to stir emotions of hate, distrust, anger, and betrayal, because those emotions get people addicted to social media and line the pockets of social media bosses. But the real emotions that power our communities are love, loyalty, decency, and respect.

When recess is over, I will go to Parliament to hold big tech companies to account. The bosses who run them must have greater responsibilities to support a respectful, trusting public sphere, instead of building algorithms that propel hate and lies into the living rooms of people in communities across the country.

Beyond new laws, all of us can play a role. Think twice before you share or engage with something on social media. Does this reflect who I am? Does this reflect the town I love? Do these loud, angry voices really represent most people in my community? Could I get off social media and help someone on my street, be with my kids, go for a run, or have a pint with friends? Together, we have the power to create healthier online communities that we are proud of – just like the real communities we live in.