Labour MPs have quit X, citing Elon Musk’s use of it as a platform for foreign adversaries and far-right fringe organisations.
Newly elected MPs raised concerns on WhatsApp about the role of X in spreading misinformation during far-right disturbances in England and Northern Ireland.
Two Labour MPs are reported to have informed colleagues that they were departing the platform. Noah Law has disabled his account. MPs who still use X are considering alternatives, including Threads, owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, and Bluesky, an open-source platform.
Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X, has been in a public battle with Keir Starmer after the tech tycoon said that the riots meant “civil war is inevitable” in the UK. Musk has faced criticism for not addressing misinformation on his platform and for personally distributing fake news.
Former Twitter executive Bruce Daisley said Musk should face personal punishment, including an arrest warrant, if he continues to incite public disturbance online.
Over the weekend, Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister with over 700,000 followers on X, said she intended to dial back her usage of the site because it had become a “bit despotic” and “a place of misery now.”.
A government minister told the Guardian that they cut their posts on X over the summer and were “very reluctant to return” due to Musk’s conduct.
Musk, a proponent of free expression, will interview Trump on X on Monday night. Musk has previously reinstated people such as Donald Trump and Tommy Robinson.
Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, stated that he is exploring alternate platforms like Bluesky. “What matters about Musk is not only what he said but also how he changed X’s algorithms,” he told me. “He has transformed X into a platform for foreign foes and far-right fringe groups aiming to undermine our public space. Nobody should have so much authority.
“A new generation of politicians is exercising their muscles, having grown up with the power of these platforms. Musk’s criticism of Britain has put X squarely in our sights.
Lewis Atkinson, the Labour MP for Sunderland Central, has begun compiling a list of his party’s MPs who use Threads, stating that “any platform with lots of hate and disinformation is not very appealing to use.”.
“I’ve noticed in recent weeks some people moving away from X because of their experiences there, so I’ve expanded where I’m posting to include some X alternatives—Threads and BlueSky,” added the developer.
“I’ve been thrilled to see others I know there, including other Labour MPs; by my count, 28 are currently using Threads. Using several platforms gives constituents and media a choice in what they use. I don’t intend to leave X, but I don’t understand why it (or any platform) should have a monopoly on political publishing.”
Jo Platt, the Labour MP for Leigh, left X before the general election after witnessing the platform’s “deterioration” and is now a threads user.
I used to enjoy it. “I’ve been on it since 2009,” Platt remarked. “That deterioration of it has just happened quite quickly over the past few years and even more so now.” She listed “the misinformation and disinformation that you see on there without it being challenged, and you know that it’s not going to be removed” .
Activists on the far right incited outrage online by falsely claiming that a Muslim asylum seeker was responsible for a stabbing attack that killed three children in Southport two weeks earlier.
Downing Street warned that social media companies could face increased regulation if they failed to combat disinformation on their platforms. Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, met with social media leaders last week, and another meeting is anticipated this week.
“We are very clear that social media companies have a responsibility to ensure that there is no safe space for hatred and illegality on their platforms,” the prime minister’s spokesperson stated.
“Our initial response has been to deal with the disruption and engage with the authorities. But, as [Starmer] stated last week, he agrees that we will need to take a broader look at social media following this disaster.”
Ministers aim to quickly implement the Online Safety Act.
In response to Nigel Farage’s statement that “Keir Starmer poses the biggest threat to free speech we’ve seen in our history,” Musk responded by adding, “True.”
The prime minister’s office said he would “completely disagree with that,” but added that Starmer would not engage in a tit-for-tat battle with Musk.
Musk has regularly insulted the UK government, police, and judicial system in a series of tweets over the last two weeks. He has used # TwoTierKeir, referring to charges that police have punished certain demonstrators harsher than others, and described the prison sentences handed down to two far-right rioters as “messed up.”.
However, the prime minister’s spokesperson stated that the government has no plans to reconsider its use of X, adding, “With all of our communications, it’s important to make sure that we reach the broadest possible audience, and that is one of a number of channels that we use to ensure that we’re doing that.”