The United Kingdom is increasingly bearing a resemblance to an anti-free speech dictatorship straight out of a George Orwell novel, especially with its latest move, as one independent journalist critiqued.
Britain has already come under fire for arresting and jailing individuals who exercised free speech online, thanks in part to the Online Safety Act (OSA) passed in 2023. But the country has taken yet another major step downward on the road to dystopia, as independent journalist Michael Shellenberger pointed out. In addition to the OSA censorship efforts, the UK has deployed specialized law enforcement — the National Internet Intelligence Investigations team — to scour online platforms for anti-mass-migration sentiments. It appears that prior to this development, these efforts were primarily local.
Shellenberger posted on X Saturday, “It's official. The UK is now officially a police state. It has become precisely what Orwell warned about. Criticize mass migration and you can expect the police to come to your home. And judges will give longer sentences for wrong think than many violent crimes.”
Shellenberger’s words ring true. For instance, in October 2024, an English judge who had previously allowed a child pornography possessor to escape without any prison time sentenced Lucy Connolly to 31 months in prison for a supposedly hateful message on X.
GB News reported on July 27 that an “elite” group of police is now tasked by the UK government with monitoring supposed “anti-migrant” free speech online. The new investigations unit is set to be assembled from detectives pulled from across Great Britain.
Shadow UK Home Secretary Chris Philp also strongly condemned the move, according to GB News. “Two-tier Keir [i.e., Prime Minister Starmer] can't police the streets, so he's trying to police opinions instead,” Philip argued. “They're setting up a central team to monitor what you post, what you share, what you think, because deep down they know the public don't buy what they're selling.”
Ironically, Philip has defended the OSA in the past, claiming it would safeguard free speech, though even he appears to recognize now that the opposite is true.
In spite of numerous arrests for free speech and legislation like OSA enforcing censorship, on top of the new police unit, Starmer asserted to reporters in Scotland Monday, “We’re not censoring anyone.”
Magnificent! GB News inform Trump on *LIVE TV* that Keir Starmer has new powers to censor his own social media platform, Truth Social. Keir Starmer replies: "We are not censoring anyone" @beverleyturner then brilliantly calls him out again. Brutal. Keir Starmer is finished.
— Lee Harris (@addicted2newz) Jul 27, 2025
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