The government has told social media platforms to remove content that glorifies dangerous driving, the defence minister has said, as ministers respond to public anger over the fatal A66 crash near Middlesbrough in which multiple people died. The directive, reported by the Guardian, comes amid intense scrutiny of how clips of reckless driving spread online and whether they encourage copycat behaviour on British roads. It is the clearest signal yet that the prime minister’s administration intends to treat the promotion of illegal driving as a matter of public safety rather than merely a policing issue.
What the minister said
According to the Guardian’s live politics coverage, the defence minister said the police “need time” to investigate but that, in the meantime, the government had instructed platforms to take down material that celebrates or glamorises dangerous driving. The intervention follows weeks of pressure from MPs and road-safety campaigners who argue that viral footage of high-speed chases and stunts normalises behaviour that ends in fatalities. The A66 collision, which killed several people on the Teesside route, has become the flashpoint for that argument, with families and local leaders demanding concrete action rather than condolences.
Burnham stands with European leaders in Kyiv
Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv on Monday alongside a number of European leaders to mark Ukraine’s independence day, the Guardian reports. He was photographed at the capital’s railway station shaking hands with Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha. Sybiha said the prime minister would be joined by António Costa, president of the European Council; Luc Frieden, the prime minister of Luxembourg; and Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, among others, in a coordinated demonstration of continued backing for Ukraine.
Why it matters
The two strands of the day underline the breadth of the prime minister’s in-tray: a domestic road-safety emergency that has shaken public confidence in how Britain’s roads are policed, and a continuing commitment to Ukraine’s defence at a delicate moment in the conflict. For ministers, the speed of the social-media intervention signals a readiness to lean on technology firms directly when public safety is at stake, a stance that could shape future regulation of online content. For Kyiv, the presence of the British prime minister alongside continental counterparts reinforces the message that Western support remains intact.
What happens next
Attention now turns to whether the platforms comply voluntarily or require firmer statutory backing, and to the conclusions of the police investigation into the A66 collision. Burnham’s visit to Kyiv is expected to be followed by further statements of support from the European leaders who travelled with him, and by debate in Westminster over the precise limits of the government’s takedown request. The Guardian’s live coverage is likely to keep updating as ministers take questions on both the road-safety response and the Ukraine visit.
Source: Original report. Rewrite for Your News Website.
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