London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 15, 2026

Rishi Sunak alt text tweet criticised for misusing accessibility feature

Rishi Sunak alt text tweet criticised for misusing accessibility feature

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been criticised for misusing alt text on social media - weeks after big brands were called out for doing it.

His official Twitter account posted a four-picture photo grid showing cabinet members having a meeting.

The alt text fields - which are supposed to describe what's in the images for blind users - simply read: "We're growing the economy".

Number 10 said it "aims to ensure" images are "as accessible as possible".

Just two weeks ago, companies like McDonald's were criticised for posting the "click here" meme, which used alt text to hide jokes.

The accessibility feature works with screen readers and is supposed to describe image elements like what people are wearing, their surroundings, and any text that appears.

When photos in the tweet from Rishi Sunak's account are clicked, each expands to reveal a list of things the government says it has done.

But because this information is not included in the alt text, anyone using a screen reader will not know what it says.

The government's received backlash for not fully describing the images.



The RNIB responded by tweeting a video demonstrating what the images would sound like to blind people using a screen reader - the phrase "we're growing the economy" repeated four times.

Becky Brynolf, who's head of social media at the charity, tells Newsbeat she felt "a bit of disappointment" when she saw the tweet.

"I think that everyone should be able to access the same information. It's a basic human right access, and it's everybody's responsibility," she says.

"I think it is especially important to highlight when our own government is maybe misusing features and just let them know where they can improve."

RNIB social media lead Becky Brynolf says alt text can be a way of saying "we want you here" to users who rely on it


Becky says it's especially bad from Rishi Sunak because the government published guidance for public bodies to make their websites and apps accessible in 2018.

"I know that the guidance doesn't specifically reference social media," she says.

"But I think it's reasonable to expect that communications teams of a key public figure such as the prime minister also makes their social media posts accessible."

In a statement, Number 10 said: "We use a broad range of methods and channels to communicate with the public and aim to ensure that they are as accessible as possible.

"That includes using alternative text on our social channels."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
Wildfires Surge Across England and Wales as Fire Chiefs Report Record July
UK Nurses Warn of Heat Risks as Hospital Staff Struggle With Extreme Temperatures
Southern Water Seeks Drought Order for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amid Water Shortages
UK Heatwave Pushes West London Temperature to 38.1 Degrees as Health Alerts Continue
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Global Uncertainty
China’s Kimi Launches AI-Focused Credit Card With Agricultural Bank of China and American Express
UK Residents Gather to Watch Rare Partial Solar Eclipse
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Faces Criticism Over Legal Threat Against Guardian Journalist
Michael Forsyth Elected Speaker of the House of Lords
Cambridge Researchers Launch £20 Million Human Organoid Drug Testing Programme
Heathrow Loses European Passenger Traffic Lead to Istanbul Airport
Households Near New UK Electricity Pylons to Receive £250 Annual Energy Bill Discount
UK Government Estimates Zero-Hours Contract Ban Could Cost Employers Up to £3 Billion a Year
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
UK Police Chiefs Urge Government to Block Early Release of Andrew Harper Killers
UK Government Holds Emergency Cobra Meeting as Drought and Heatwave Raise Wildfire Risks
Former Labour Adviser Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for China Held Privileged Access as Top Party Donor
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Donald Trump Warns FIFA Against Ousting Gianni Infantino Amid Revolt by Global Football Leaders
Jeff Bezos Joins Investor Group Closing In on $6 Billion Liverpool FC Stake
Police Conduct Cross-Border Raids Against Northern England Drug Network
Nicola Sturgeon Protested at Edinburgh Festival Fringe Event
Major UK Retail Chain Enters Administration With One Hundred Fifty-Four Stores Set to Close
Heathrow Renews Call for Runway Expansion After Losing Europe’s Busiest Airport Ranking
Government Condemns One Million Pound Thames Water Executive Bonus Amid Drought
NHS England Says More Than One Hundred Thousand Hepatitis C Patients Have Been Cured
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Calls for End to West Bank Settler Violence
UK Prepares for Deepest Partial Solar Eclipse Since Nineteen Ninety-Nine
UK Heatwave Triggers Amber Health Alerts as Economic Losses Reach Four Point Four Billion Pounds
UK Offers Electricity Bill Discounts to Communities Hosting New Power Infrastructure
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Five Percent
UK Government Moves to Ban Subscription Traps and Misleading Retail Discounts
Andy Burnham Gives Councils New Powers to Block Betting and Vape Shops
UK Councils to Receive Sweeping Planning Powers to Ban New Vape and Betting Shops
Nicola Sturgeon Says She Has No Contact With Estranged Husband After SNP Embezzlement Case
Police Arrest Two Men After Aberdeenshire Defense Technology Office Break-In
×