Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, is facing growing public criticism following a series of actions on her official political Facebook page. Most notably, she has blocked constituents from commenting or engaging with her posts—raising serious questions about free speech, transparency, and possible breaches of UK human rights obligations.
The controversy began when Antoniazzi posted a message expressing appreciation for nurses, a gesture generally seen as supportive. However, shortly thereafter, she made another post referencing “cheap foreign labour”—a phrase that many have condemned as inflammatory and exclusionary, particularly given the vital role that foreign workers play in the UK’s National Health Service. The contrast between the two posts has sparked a wave of concern from constituents, some commenting on her posts. Tonia simply blocked and did not engage. Blocking people from a political social media page is needed if the people are abusive. However, blocking people who are not abusive and blocking them purely because the MP does not agree with being held to account, or being exposed for their hypocrisy is arguably against applicable legislation.
Matters escalated when individuals who criticised or questioned her statements found themselves blocked from her page. As this is a platform she uses to communicate in her capacity as a public official, this has serious legal and ethical implications.
Under the UK Human Rights Act 1998, which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Article 10 protects the right to freedom of expression. This includes the right to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority. When elected representatives use social media to conduct official business and communicate with the public, they should not restrict or ban people (unless acting illegally) as public discussion and holding to account is a necessity.
Blocking constituents can infringe upon their rights under Article 10—particularly when there is no reasonable justification or process of appeal.
Further, Article 14 of the ECHR prohibits discrimination in the enjoyment of these rights, which adds additional weight to concerns that individuals may have been silenced for their views or background.
It is important to note that while social media pages are not inherently public forums, when an MP uses a platform to share policy views, government-related updates, and engage with constituents, they may be held to a higher standard of accountability. Legal precedent is still developing in this area, but similar issues in other jurisdictions (such as the U.S. case against Trump) have shown that blocking constituents can be found unlawful when it limits democratic participation.
We intend to pursue this matter legally. We believe that no one should be silenced for asking questions of their elected representative, or pointing out any hypocrisy, especially on matters of public concern. Blocking users in this context undermines accountability and democratic engagement.
We will be seeking further legal advice to explore our options under UK law and the Human Rights Act. Updates on the progress and outcome of this case will be posted publicly, as we believe transparency is essential in holding public officials to account.
At the time of writing, Antoniazzi has not publicly addressed these concerns. We urge her to clarify her position, reconsider her approach to public discourse, and ensure her communications are in line with both legal obligations and the values of an open democracy.
Tonia Antoniazzi (above) writes in facebook: “Today on #InternationalNursesDay I want to say a heartfelt thank you to every nurse working across Gower and beyond. You are the beating heart of our NHS.”
Contrast her heartfelt message above with the below which states “cheap, foreign labour”:
The hypocritical posts from Tonia has seen a backlash of comments, some of which are published below:
“No your pandering to the far right and reform, your handing power into reforms hands, trying to compensate with sound bites for the fact that you havnt actually improved workers lives since regaining power.”
“Are you happy with the language that your leader used and the lurch to the right?”
“Well, your true colours are showing. We need Immigration to prop up the Care Sector. I didn’t vote Labour to have a government that are racist and target the most vulnerable ( I’m referring to the PIP issue). You won’t even reply to our emails. Why don’t you just join Farage instead of pretending?”
“Thank you for not standing up for the thousands of immigrants workers holding our NHS together and that drive economic diversification through bringing new ideas, products and ways of thinking to our economy. They fuel dynamism in our economy.Demonising immigrants is just legitimising Farage and his racist nonsense and lurching this country towards Trumpian fascism”
“What a disgusting thing to say. People who choose to live and work in the Uk should be valued and appreciated, not dismissed as, ‘cheap’ and ‘foreign.’ You sound more like a Faragist than a socialist.”
“Shameful Tonia.”
Tonia has been contacted in relation to the contrast between the two posts in addition as to why she is actively blocking people from commenting on her political page.
Any updpates or response from Tonia will be posted in addition to any court ruling in relation to Tonia blocking people for no valid reason from her political page.
Update 13/05/2025: A complaint was sent to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and copied to Tonia, any response will be updated here.
The post from Tonia which saw the words “cheap, foreign labour” has now been deleted. However, despite Tonia deleting this, the screenshot and some of the comments are preserved above.
