Wes Streeting says he has received a significant increase in online homophobic abuse since becoming Defence Secretary. Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe, he describes the volume of messages as “unbelievable,” adding that the reaction is far stronger online than the media coverage he initially received when he took up the role.
One outlet reports that his appointment about three weeks earlier was “almost entirely unremarked upon” in the media, but online responses are noticeably different. Both sources frame his comments as personal experience, attributing the abuse to people reacting to his identity and his position in government. Neither account provides details about specific accounts, investigations, or any official response in the materials provided.
Overall, the reporting agrees on what Streeting says and where he says it, with differences mainly in emphasis: one stresses the contrast between limited early media attention and later online backlash, while the other foregrounds the extent of abuse and his criticism of those posting it.
