Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy ends department use of X
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced that her department will no longer use the social media platform X, citing concerns over abuse and misinformation.
Narrative Synthesis
Neutral news article compiled by integrating coverage details from all reporting stations.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced that her department will no longer use the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, citing concerns over abuse and misinformation. The move makes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport the second government department to quit the platform after the Attorney General's office. In what was described as her last post on the platform, Nandy stated that X now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate and is not healthy for democracy.
The decision has drawn criticism from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who argued that the Culture Department is supposed to counter and deal with misinformation, not run away from it. However, Labour MP Rupa Haque defended the move, calling it courageous and principled, and said it sends a strong message that the department does not align with the values of a platform she described as a 'hate-filled place' and a 'toxic cesspit' that rewards hatred.
Former Twitter vice president Bruce Daisley also criticised the platform, pointing to incidents such as a man being paid $1,400 a month for posting racist tweets during the 2024 race riots, the spread of sexualised images without consent, and the promotion of right-wing propaganda. He noted that new accounts on X are routinely fed such content and that Rupert Lowe is the most promoted politician on the platform. Daisley argued that the government should do more than just stop posting, suggesting it should regulate the platform and hold it accountable, for example by making local directors personally liable for non-compliance with UK law, as France has done.
The debate highlighted the tension between leaving the platform and regulating it. Haque noted that there is precedent for leaving, with the mayor of Paris, the Guardian newspaper, and various universities having already quit X. She pointed out that women, ethnic minorities, and Muslim people receive the worst abuse on the platform. Daisley, however, called the government's response 'embarrassing' and said that allowing the richest man in the world to peddle misinformation without stronger action is a failure of democracy. He advocated for international cooperation with Europe and other countries to tackle the issue.
Ofcom figures cited during the discussion show that X has 6.9 million daily users in the UK, compared to Facebook's 34 million, suggesting the platform's influence may be waning. Nandy has left the door open for a possible return to X if conditions improve.
On screen
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Key Claims
Factual or political claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| A man was paid $1,400 a month for posting racist tweets during the 2024 race riots as part of X's creator program. | |
| Ofcom figures showed X had 6.9 million daily users in the UK compared to Facebook's 34 million. | |
| The Department for Culture, Media and Sport became the second government department to leave X after the Attorney General's office. |
Channel Perspectives
Editorial focus, emphasis angles, and key quotes from each reporting news station.
Channel 4 News framed the story as a principled stand by Lisa Nandy but also highlighted the criticism that the government should do more to regulate X rather than simply leaving. The segment featured a debate between Labour MP Rupa Haque, who defended the move, and former Twitter VP Bruce Daisley, who argued for stronger regulatory action. The tone was analytical, with a focus on the platform's toxicity and the government's perceived inaction.
- “I think she's completely right to do it. I actually think it's very courageous, it's very principled.”
- “It's embarrassing, we're a democracy. Surely we have the freedom to do these things.”
- “The idea that we're allowed to, we're meant to allow the richest man in the world to park his tanks outside the UK, peddle misinformation. And our only response is Lisa Nandy is now going to withhold her tweets. It's quite embarrassing.”
Bulletin Timeline
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