Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced her and her department's immediate departure from Elon Musk's social media platform, X. In what is expected to be her final post on the site, Ms Nandy stated that the platform "isn't healthy for our democracy or our communities and I don't want to support it." She further elaborated that a platform originally intended for free speech now appears to prioritise "abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate."
This move makes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) the second government department to cease using X, following the Attorney General's Office last month. Attorney General Lord Hermer defended his decision to ban his office from the platform, telling MPs in June that it "constantly descends to racism and misogyny" and that his department "can do better." While acknowledging other departments' need to engage, he stressed his office could achieve serious and respectful debate elsewhere.
The decision by Ms Nandy has drawn criticism from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who responded on X, suggesting that DCMS is meant to counter misinformation, not withdraw from the platform. Meanwhile, Downing Street has indicated it will continue to use X, with a spokeswoman stating that the government keeps its social media use "under review" and that individual ministers and departments decide their platform usage. Ms Nandy has confirmed she will continue to use Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for her communications.
The departure comes amid broader concerns about the platform's content and its impact on public discourse. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently accused Mr Musk of using X to "whip up division" in the UK following the murder of student Henry Nowak last month. Violent protests erupted in Southampton after bodycam footage showed police handcuffing the 18-year-old as he lay dying, with his killer claiming he was a victim of a racist attack. Mr Musk himself criticised the police's treatment of the teenager on the platform, further fuelling the debate.
Furthermore, several MPs, including Liberal Democrats Layla Moran and Vikki Slade, and Labour's Darren Paffey, had already left X earlier this year. Their exits were prompted by reports that the platform's Grok AI tool was being used to generate sexualised images, including those of children. X has previously stated that anyone using or prompting Grok to create illegal content would face the same consequences as if they uploaded it directly.