Lisa Nandy, the UK's culture secretary, has announced she is leaving X (formerly Twitter) and that her Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will also stop using the platform, citing concerns that it now favours 'abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate'.
Department joins attorney general in quitting X
The DCMS is the second UK government department to quit the Elon Musk-owned platform, following the attorney general's office, which stopped posting on X two weeks ago. The attorney general for England and Wales, Richard Hermer, made the decision partly due to the platform's role in stoking disorder in Southampton and Belfast in June.
In a statement posted on her own X account, Nandy said: 'I've decided to leave this platform and my department will too. A platform originally designed for free speech and expression now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate. It isn't healthy for our democracy or our communities and I don't want to support it.'
Significance of the decision
Nandy's move is symbolically important given the DCMS is responsible for media regulation, although enforcement against X has so far been left to Ofcom, the media watchdog. It also signals a shift in opinion among ministers about the value of remaining on the platform to communicate their message, despite the prevalence of racist and far-right content and calls for the UK government to be deposed, often endorsed by Musk himself.
In September last year, Musk addressed a far-right march in London via video link, saying: 'If this continues, that violence is going to come to you, you will have no choice. You either fight back or you die, that's the truth, I think.'
Role in fuelling violence
There was renewed focus on X amid widespread violence in Southampton, where protesters claimed to be responding to the death of Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed as he lay dying from a stab wound after his killer falsely reported a racist assault. Six days later, far-right activists called for demonstrations in Belfast after a stabbing attack for which a Sudanese refugee was charged with attempted murder. In both cases, far-right agitators, often endorsed by Musk, used X to call for protests and violent responses.
Nandy added that people who want to interact with her via social media can do so on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The decision could be temporary, as Andy Burnham is set to become prime minister within weeks and a new culture secretary may take a different view.
