UK Attorney General quits X over disinformation concerns

England and Wales Attorney General Richard Hermer has ordered his department to stop posting on X, reportedly citing concerns over disinformation and incitement to violence.

This is for the first time a sitting UK minister has abandoned the platform entirely, a symbolic crack in the government's relationship with Elon Musk's social network.

Hermer apparently made this choice in response to the riots in Southampton and Belfast, which involved acts of racism through the use of X. 

It was found by the office of the Attorney General, which is responsible for enforcing the law and serving the interests of the general public, that staying on a platform that facilitated this kind of organisation went against their entire purpose.

This leaves the Labour government facing a somewhat uncomfortable situation since Prime Minister Keir Starmer is still active on X.

However, Hermer's exit suggests patience is wearing thin among senior officials who deal directly with the platform's harms: violence, conspiracy theories, and coordinated disinformation that spills into real streets.

The government has said before that it would impose a blanket ban on X if Ofcom thought it was required. It may be approaching that stage, and Hermer’s resignation is indicative of that.

Elon Musk has openly backed far-right political opponents and demanded that Starmer resign multiple times. Instead of backing off, Musk has escalated the problem and increased polarisation in the platform. Government agencies now see X not as an objective communications platform but as an extender of extremism.

The recent government investigation into X's AI bot Grok and the announcement of the under-16 social media policy indicate that the Labour government is prepared to challenge Musk directly.