Elon Musk slammed for failing to deal with X threats geared toward British MPs

X owner Elon Musk has been critiscised by the Commons Speaker for failing to tackle threats levelled at MPs on the social media platform.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle said that Twitter used to take down 92 per cent of threatening posts and leave 8 per cent up, but that now the numbers were reversed.

In an interview with the BBC Sir Lindsay said the platform had ‘changed for the worse’ and said the government had to ‘think long and hard’ about what to do with it and other social media.

Speaking to Matt Chorley for his new show on 5Live, the Speaker, who is in charge of MPs welfare, said that in the wake of the Southport riots the companies had to ‘take their responsibilities more seriously’.  

‘If these social media platforms aren’t going to work … I think the government have got to think long and hard about what they’re going to do with social media.’

‘The platforms have got to clean themselves up … X is not the platform that I knew.

‘It’s completely changed. I’d love to say it’s changed for the better, it’s not. It’s changed for the worse.’

After July’s general election every new MP was given a panic alarm as they face unprecedented levels of abuse and threats to their safety.

The devices were supplied as part of Commons ‘welcome packs’ for the first time, as officials beef up security measures for politicians increasingly facing intimidation and death threats.

They have been available to all MPs on request since the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. Now they have been automatically handed to the 335 new MPs who entered Parliament after an election campaign marred by menacing behaviour.   

‘My view is that those social media platforms are responsible. We’ve seen it,’ Sir Lindsay told the BBC.

‘At one time X as they now call it, we used to be able to go online and say ”these things are up there; can you take them down?” – threats against MPs.

‘In fairness they were very good at taking down the majority of what we asked. Eight per cent would remain up, the rest came down. We’re now looking the other way round, that 92 per cent of it stays up and only 8 per cent comes down. If that.’   

Abuse reported by candidates and volunteers included death threats, being sworn and spat at and being followed and intimidated in the street.

Earlier this year, the Home Office announced a £31 million package of measures to counter the threat to MPs’ security and Sir Lindsay last month said he has ‘never seen anything as bad’ as the present threat level. 

‘If there’s something that keeps me awake at night, it is the safety of MPs,’ he added.

The devices – which are understood to contain unique codes to identify which MP triggers them – were handed out during induction sessions last week, with demonstrations on how to use them.

New MPs who did not attend were given alarms as part of their welcome packs, along with their laptops and introductory information.

It came after a judge in Brazil ordered the suspension of X last Friday as part of a long-running spat between Mr Musk and authorities in the South American country. 

Justice Alexandre de Moraes had warned Musk on Wednesday night that X could be blocked in Brazil if he failed to comply with his order to name a representative, and established a 24-hour deadline.

In his decision, Jude De Moraes gave internet service providers and app stores five days to block access to X, and said the platform will remain blocked until it complies with his orders.

He also said people or companies who use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access X will be subject to daily fines of 50,000 reais (£6,800).

X has been approached to comment.