The UK Government’s presence on X “legitimises” the “dangerous” platform, a Scottish Labour MP has said.
Blair McDougall said he had deactivated his account on Elon Musk’s social media site after the billionaire said one of his colleagues “deserves to be in prison”.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has received threats since the Tesla owner called her a “rape genocide apologist” for denying requests for the Home Office to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.
Musk accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being “complicit in the rape of Britain” during his tenure as director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013.
The tycoon also shared a bizarre poll asking whether the US should “liberate” the UK from its government.
X – formerly known as Twitter – is often where UK Government departments share news updates. The site has been accused of allowing hate and bigotry to spread since Musk took over in 2022.
East Renfrewshire MP McDougall said in the House of Commons on Monday: “I warmly welcome the measures that the Home Secretary has set out to pursue perpetrators and to challenge the culture of cover-up, and I also welcome her strong statement that nobody should resist the urge to report child rape for fear of being labelled a racist.
“Does she share my contempt for those who weaponise the suffering of victims, particularly through online disinformation, to pursue their own hateful agendas? The attacks by Elon Musk on the Safeguarding Minister in the last few days crossed a line for me, so I deactivated my X account earlier.
“At what point does the continued presence of Government Departments on that platform legitimise a space that is now not only poisonous but dangerous?”
Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper replied: “My honourable friend is right that this has to be about showing respect for victims and survivors; it cannot be about perpetuating misinformation online for the sake of clicks and audiences.
“We have a responsibility to make practical changes, and I hope we can stick to this House’s core tradition of sitting opposite each other, across the Dispatch Boxes and across the Chamber, to talk about what really matters to our constituents, rather than simply chasing headlines online.”
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