Earlier this week, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy posted what she said would be her final message on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. She announced that she and her department—the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)—were leaving the platform because it "isn't healthy for our democracy or our communities". The DCMS is the second government department to stop using X, after the Attorney General's office quit last month. But Downing Street says it will continue to use the platform, and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the move, arguing that the culture department "is supposed to counter and deal with misinformation, not run away because it's all too much". So what is driving officials to leave, and what does it mean for how the government communicates with the public?
X, formerly Twitter, was bought by Elon Musk in 2022. Since then, the platform has made significant changes to its content moderation policies, reinstating previously banned accounts and reducing the teams that policed harmful content. Critics say this has led to a rise in abuse, hate speech and misinformation. Lisa Nandy specifically cited that X "now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate". The Attorney General, Lord Hermer, who stopped his office from posting on X in June, told MPs the platform "constantly descends to racism and misogyny". Several MPs also left earlier in 2026 after reports that X's AI tool, Grok, was being used to create sexualised images, including of children. X has said that anyone using Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as if they uploaded it.
“Explains why UK government ministers are leaving X over abuse and misinformation concerns.”
The decision highlights a growing tension between government bodies and a platform that many officials once saw as essential for reaching voters. The UK government has used Twitter and then X for years to announce policies, respond to crises and engage with citizens. But as the platform's direction has shifted, some departments now question whether that engagement is worth the reputational risk. For UK readers, this matters because X remains a major source of news and public debate. If official government accounts disappear, it could change how people get information—potentially pushing audiences to other platforms like Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn, which Nandy says she will continue to use. However, it also raises questions about accountability: if the government is not on X, can it effectively counter misinformation that spreads there?
Q: What is X and why is the government leaving? X is a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, bought by Elon Musk in 2022. Government officials are leaving because they say it has become a haven for abuse, misinformation and harmful content, including racist and misogynistic posts and AI-generated sexual images.
Q: Which UK government departments have left X? Two departments have stopped using X: the Attorney General's office (announced in June 2026) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (announced in July 2026). Downing Street has said it will continue using the platform, and other departments may decide individually.
Q: Will this affect how I get government news? Potentially. If more departments leave, official announcements may shift to other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or government websites. For now, No 10 remains on X, so major announcements will still appear there. But the trend suggests a gradual retreat from the platform.
What happens next is unclear. Downing Street said it keeps its use of social media "under review", and other departments may follow the DCMS and Attorney General's lead. Ministers are likely to face continued pressure from MPs and the public to either stay on X to combat misinformation or leave to avoid lending credibility to a platform they consider toxic. The debate over the role of official accounts on privately owned social media is far from over.