LONDON: The newborn daughter of British MP Adnan Hussain was targeted by a wave of sexist, Islamophobic, and racist abuse on social media just hours after her birth, Hussain told The Guardian on Thursday.
Hussain, who represents Blackburn as an Independent Alliance member and won his seat in 2024 after running a pro-Gaza campaign, said his X account was inundated with “vile” comments after posting a pixelated photo of his daughter.
“The atmosphere around us is darkening, both online and offline,” he said, describing the attacks as “a very dark abyss of hatred and despair.”
He called for concerted action to push back against growing hate speech in the UK.
Hussain said on Facebook the response was overwhelmingly supportive, including goodwill from people with different political views.
In contrast, the environment on X quickly shifted, with posts questioning his Britishness and demanding he and his daughter “be sent back to their ancestral homeland.”
I didn't move anywhere, I was born here, in Burnley, Lancashire, to be precise. Believe it or not, no one chooses where they're born, not me, nor you. https://t.co/z4eDffda1y
— Adnan Hussain MP (@AdnanHussainMP) September 30, 2025
Many of the comments, he said, were “absolutely racist” and he added that, sadly, “they came as no great shock.”
As a first-time father, Hussain, who is of Pakistani descent, said the episode highlights how unchecked hate speech and online racism now have “very real, very dangerous, real-world consequences,” and called on those in leadership to do more to address the issue.
He also urged tech companies to do more to moderate content and questioned the motives of social media platforms that allow such comments to go unchecked.
Hussain left the Labour Party after Keir Starmer became leader, and has continued to campaign against online hatred and for greater representation of minorities in politics.
His experience comes as MPs across parties report a surge in online abuse.
In July, Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said he had been “inundated with racist comments” after debating reforms to UK governance, while Labour MP Satvir Kaur described “extreme” and misogynistic online hate as “constant, almost on a daily basis.”
Hussain argued that there are determined forces seeking to “lead society down a very dark abyss of hatred,” but that “a force just as strong, just as determined, should hit back, and say enough, we will not allow this.”
