UK Attorney General orders department off X over disinformation

Attorney General Richard Hermer directed his office to stop posting on X on June 12, citing disinformation spread during recent unrest, according to The Observer.bsky
The move follows riots in Southampton and Belfast where far-right figures used X to share doctored images and coordinate violent protests.bbc
PM Keir Starmer remains active on X, and Hermer is reportedly not pushing other departments to leave the platform.bsky

UK Attorney General Orders Department Off X, Citing Disinformation and Racist Violence

Richard Hermer, the Attorney General for England and Wales, has directed his department to stop posting on X, becoming the first cabinet minister to order a government department off the platform owned by Elon Musk. The Attorney General’s Office ceased publishing on June 12, with the exception of legal warnings, according to The Observer, which first reported the story.bsky

Hermer communicated the decision to staff via a directive last week, driven by what he views as the platform’s role in amplifying disinformation and inciting violence during recent unrest in Southampton and Belfast.bsky

Disorder in Southampton and Belfast

The move follows a turbulent period in the UK. In early June, riots broke out in Southampton after the sentencing of a man convicted of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak. Far-right figures used X to coordinate protests that descended into clashes with police. On June 8-9, further violence erupted in Belfast after a knife attack allegedly committed by a Sudanese asylum seeker, with masked rioters setting homes, cars, and a bus on fire.bbc

In both cases, X was used by far-right activists including Tommy Robinson to spread misinformation and organize demonstrations. The Observer reported that high-profile politicians shared doctored images from police bodycam footage, while X’s AI tool Grok wrongly identified former police officers as being present at the scene, leading to their personal details being widely circulated online.time

An Awkward Position for Labour

The decision creates a tension within the Labour government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer remains active on X, and the government has previously resisted calls to leave the platform despite criticism — particularly after Musk addressed a Tommy Robinson rally last year, telling attendees: “Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you”.x

Hermer, who does not have a personal X account and has himself been the target of antisemitism online, is reportedly not pushing for other departments to follow his lead. The move nonetheless comes amid broader government action on social media: on June 15, Starmer announced a ban on social media access for children under 16, set to take effect next year.bsky