Social media Politicians hooked on X, warns MP

Westminster needs to wean itself off X, a close ally of Keir Starmer has said, as he warned that Elon Musk is manipulating its algorithm to boost his own political and personal interests.

- Kiran Stacey

Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield and former director of the thinktank Labour Together, said he believed the British political class was dangerously addicted to the platform, formerly known as Twitter. Simons maintains an active X profile, but said he was keen not to overuse it.

His comments reflect a growing concern among Labour MPs about the impact of X after last summer's riots, during which misinformation spread rapidly on the platform. But they also threaten to exacerbate tensions between the government and the social media company, with Musk continuing to attack Starmer over Labour's response to the violence.