Aysu Bicer
12 August 2024•Update: 12 August 2024
LONDON
British Labour MPs are increasingly abandoning X, formerly known as Twitter, as they cite concerns over the platform's alleged role in spreading misinformation and amplifying far-right rhetoric under the leadership of businessman Elon Musk.
According to The Guardian daily on Monday, the exodus began after newly elected MPs voiced their alarm in internal WhatsApp groups over the platform's involvement in fueling recent far-right-led riots in parts of England and Northern Ireland.
Two Labour MPs have already deactivated their accounts, with Noah Law among those who have left the platform entirely.
Others, while still maintaining a presence on X, are actively exploring alternatives such as Threads, owned by Facebook's parent company Meta, and the open-source platform Bluesky.
Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it X, has again attracted controversy following his comments on the recent riots.
The tech billionaire suggested that the unrest signaled that "civil war is inevitable" in the UK, drawing sharp criticism for not only failing to combat misinformation but also for propagating it himself.
Bruce Daisley, a former Twitter executive, called for personal sanctions against Musk, including the possibility of an arrest warrant, if he continues to incite public disorder online.
Jess Phillips, a Home Office minister with over 700,000 followers on X, also expressed her desire to reduce her use of the platform, describing it as “a place of misery” and “a bit despotic.”
A government minister echoed these sentiments, admitting that they had curtailed their activity on X over the summer due to Musk’s actions, which had made them “very reluctant to return.”
Musk has positioned himself as an advocate of free speech, reinstating controversial figures such as former US President Donald Trump and far-right activist Tommy Robinson yet while also suspending other accounts for reasons unknown or, as critics charge, political reasons, such as last week’s brief suspension of a group called “White Dudes” supporting US Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.
His management of X has drawn significant scrutiny, particularly from Labour MPs, who accuse him of turning the platform into "a megaphone for foreign adversaries and far-right fringe groups," as stated by Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield.
