Concern as Hartlepool MP Accused of Repeatedly Blocking Residents on Social Media...

The Hartlepool MP is being accused of stifling the right to freedom of speech, as its claimed scores of local residents have been banned from the town MP's social media page simply for raising issues that don't align with the MP.

4th October 2025

Concerns are said to be growing over the number of Hartlepool residents who claim they’ve been blocked on social media by the town’s Labour MP, Jonathan Brash.

Mr Brash is facing criticism after reportedly blocking scores of local people from interacting with his Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts, where many locals claim they were blocked simply for criticising Labour Party policies or expressing opinions that differed from the MP’s own.

According to one local source, as many as a hundred residents may have been restricted from engaging with Mr Brash online. This has raised questions about the MP’s commitment to democratic values, with critics accusing him of silencing public debate on issues he disagrees with—or struggles to defend.

The controversy follows recent criticism of Mr Brash’s stance on recognising a Palestinian state in the aftermath of the Manchester terrorist attack. Detractors argue that he lacks a genuine democratic mandate, pointing out that he secured the Hartlepool seat on a significantly low voter share, and predict that he could face defeat at the next general election.

Mr Brash insists he is delivering for Hartlepool, citing his role in securing plans for small modular nuclear reactors to extend the life of Hartlepool’s nuclear power station, and in funding the demolition and rebuilding of a school on the town’s historic Headland.

However, critics have repeatedly challenged these claims, arguing that both projects were already in motion under the previous Conservative government. They accuse Mr Brash of attempting to “rewrite history” and take credit for work initiated by others.

Several residents claim that when they highlight these facts on social media, they are swiftly blocked—fuelling further accusations that the MP is afraid of public scrutiny.

A social media group called 'I've Been Blocked by Jonathan Brash' has been set up online

Whilst the argument is made that MP's that come under abuse online have the right to block residents engaging in such behaviour, many feel the town's MP is taking things too far, with those being blocked by the MP cementing the belief that Mr Brash is finding it hard to defend Labours policies & that whilst he continues on his bid to block just about everyone who opposes his views online, he's once again handing a golden ticket to Reform UK who are likely to take his constituency seat in any General Election in the near future.