ANTI-VAX conspiracists and Covid deniers are being allowed to spread their dangerous propaganda unchecked because the government failed to fulfil pledges to legislate against their online activities, Labour claims.

The party’s report warns that government inaction over the online propaganda read by millions is “costing lives” and “putting huge pressure on the NHS” through the number of unvaccinated patients currently being admitted.

It says that the government abolished the Counter Disinformation Forum, a pilot scheme set up to devise ways to counter anti-vaccination misinformation.

The report also criticises so-called big tech companies, who pledged to act against anti-vax campaigners who used their digital platforms to spread misinformation.

In November 2020, Labour called on the government to work with other parties to introduce emergency measures including financial and criminal penalties for companies that fail to act to remove dangerous anti-vax content.

The report said: “The Conservatives failed to do so, and Boris Johnson has since broken his promise to introduce the Online Safety Bill before Parliament went into Christmas recess.

“It has now emerged that the government shut down the Counter Disinformation Forum in June, despite the ongoing issues over anti-vaccine disinformation and the problems that is causing, with large numbers of people who still haven’t had a jab.”

Shadow digital, culture, media and sports secretary Lucy Powell said: “The continuing spread of vaccine misinformation online is hitting vaccine uptake, and tackling this is critical to getting the unvaccinated vaccinated.

“One person put off the vaccine by dangerous anti-vaxxers is one too many.

“This is now a matter of life and death. The government must stand up to big tech companies, ignore their excuses and introduce financial and criminal penalties for failures that lead to serious harm.”

Earlier this month government minister Chris Philip, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, told the Commons that although the Counter Disinformation Forum had been wound up in June, his department “regularly meets with major social media platforms bilaterally and at an industry group meeting.

“This helps further our collective understanding of the issues and the steps being taken to address misinformation and disinformation in order to ensure this issue is tackled effectively.”