Welsh police force quits Elon Musk’s X over clash in ‘values’

A Welsh police force has completely quit X, claiming the social media site is “no longer consistent” with its values.

Police forces across the country have been reducing their usage of the platform under Elon Musk’s tenure after it was used to spread misinformation sparking the far-right riots this summer.

Formerly known as Twitter, the site has long been used as a key communications channel for emergency services, the British government, and even the royal family.

However, six forces have now told Reuters they were cutting their presence to just one or two X accounts. North Wales Police, serving nearly 700,000 residents, stopped using X completely in August.

“We ... felt that the platform was no longer consistent with our values and therefore we have withdrawn our use of it,” Chief constable Amanda Blakeman said, adding the force would continue to monitor and review alternative platforms.

All Gwent Police’s individual officer accounts have been removed.

West Yorkshire Police said it was seeking to understand whether X would still help the force reach its target audience and build trust in the community.

The role of X and other social media platforms came under the spotlight this year when far-right and racist violence broke out after online posts falsely claimed the Southport knife attack was perpetrated by an illegal migrant.

Mr Musk used his platform to attack prime minister Keir Starmer during the unrest, calling the Labour leader “#twotierkeir” and claiming “civil war is inevitable”.

Critics claim Mr Musk has allowed disinformation to spread on X since his takeover and renaming of the platform in 2022. Mr Musk has said he is defending freedom of speech.

During his tenure, he has let go of around 6,000 staff, or 80 per cent of the workforce, including the entire moderation team. He has also allowed previously banned users like Donald Trump, Andrew Tate, and Tommy Robinson back onto the platform.

The government has since committed to looking into the role social media misinformation played in the riots, and the home secretary said it would “strengthen the requirements for social media companies to take responsibility for the poison proliferated on their platforms with the rollout of the measures in the Online Safety Act”.

The Independent has contacted X and North Wales Police for comment.