THE SNP Government will remain on Elon Musk’s X platform, it has been confirmed after two UK Government departments quit the controversial website.
Last month, UK attorney general Richard Hermer told his office to stop posting on Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) amid concerns that it was being used to incite racial violence.
On Thursday, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy – who is ultimately responsible for the regulation of social media platforms in the UK – followed suit, saying that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) would leave X as it “favours abuse and misinformation”.
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The social media platform has been accused of using its algorithms to promote far-right and neo-Nazi views since its takeover by Musk, who himself supports far-right and neo-Nazi politics.
The platform has also faced controversy after Musk’s AI bot Grok declared itself “mecha-Hitler” and made pro-Nazi remarks, and generated child pornography at the request of users.
On Friday, a No 10 spokesperson said that while use of social media was kept “under review”, the Prime Minister would not be following Nandy in leaving X.
They added: “It is for individual departments to decide what is right for them in this regard.
“Our full focus remains on making sure X is following the law, cleaning up its act and ensuring it is safe for women, girls, children and people right across the country.”
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The Scottish Government has now issued a similar response, suggesting that although the use of social media is “under review”, it will continue to use X.
“The Scottish Government uses a range of social media platforms to increase public awareness and encourage uptake of key policies and these are kept under review,” a spokesperson said:
“We are clear that social media platforms have a duty to tackle any unacceptable material.”
On Friday, Hermer welcomed Nandy’s decision to leave X, saying he “strongly” supported her move.
In a post on rival social media platform Bluesky, he said: “The reality is that Twitter/X does push misinformation, abuse, racism and misogyny, and we all know it.
“While we both support colleagues to make their own choices as they see fit, it is worth remembering that Twitter/X is not the country.”
Keir Starmer has previously accused Musk – the world’s first trillionaire – of trying to “whip up division” in the UK over the murder of student Henry Nowak last month.
Violent protests erupted near where the 18-year-old was killed amid an outcry over his treatment by police.
The following week, racist rioting took place in Belfast after a stabbing attack for which a 30-year-old Sudanese national was charged with attempted murder.
Online posts from people including Musk and far-right agitator Tommy Robinson had highlighted demands for people to take to the streets.
Robinson, a serial criminal whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has previously claimed that Musk paid his legal fees.
The X owner spoke at a far-right rally organised by Robinson in London last year.