SNP members back resolution supporting UK-wide ban on X
Developed over time first seen 2 hours ago
SNP conference delegates overwhelmingly backed a resolution supporting a UK-wide ban on X and urging the party, Scottish Government, councils and other public bodies to leave the platform. The motion said public bodies should avoid social media platforms that host abusive content, citing concerns about misinformation and the use of X’s Grok chatbot.
Supporter Erin Lux argued that remaining on X lends credibility to a platform she described as harmful. Opponent David Birkett said the party should stay because X has a much larger audience than alternatives and helps share travel disruption updates. He cited figures of 551 million monthly active users for X and 10.4 million for Bluesky; the SNP itself has nearly 320,000 followers on X.
- SNP delegates backed a resolution supporting a UK-wide ban on X.
- The motion urges Scottish public bodies to leave the platform.
- Opponents cite X’s reach and its role in travel updates.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Public bodies should not lend their authority or reach to a platform they consider harmful, particularly if it hosts abuse or misinformation and its tools raise safety concerns. Leaving could signal that such conduct has consequences and encourage public communication through platforms better aligned with their responsibilities.
The case against
Keeping an official presence on X lets public bodies reach a much larger audience with timely information, including practical updates such as travel disruption notices. Leaving may reduce access to people who rely on the platform and limit the bodies’ ability to communicate directly, while a UK-wide ban would raise broader questions about restricting access to a social media service.
Full account
SNP members have backed a resolution supporting a UK-wide ban on X and calling for the party and public bodies in Scotland to stop using the social media platform. The resolution passed overwhelmingly at the party’s annual conference in Aberdeen, but it does not itself impose a ban or immediately close any accounts.
The motion urges what it describes as responsible use of social media. It says the SNP, its elected representatives, councils, the Scottish Government and other public bodies should avoid platforms that carry abusive content. It also calls on the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament’s authorities to leave X, formerly known as Twitter.
The party’s position on its own account has yet to be settled. An SNP spokesperson said it would review its use of X and report to the party’s national executive. That review has practical consequences to consider: the SNP has nearly 320,000 followers on the platform and was still using it to post conference updates in the days before the vote.
Erin Lux, the SNP member who moved the resolution, argued that continued use gave X the credibility and traffic that came with official party and public service accounts. She alleged that the platform and its AI chatbot, Grok, carried or generated child sexual abuse material, and described X as a source of misinformation and abuse. She also raised concerns about manipulated sexual images of politicians and questioned whether people should have to use the site to obtain public information, such as updates on train services. These were claims made in the conference debate; the supplied reports do not independently assess them.
David Birkett opposed the proposal. While acknowledging objections to X, he argued that its much larger audience made it useful for reaching people. He cited figures of 551 million monthly active users for X and 10.4 million for Bluesky, and said party bodies and elected representatives should be able to judge for themselves which platforms to use. The supplied reports do not provide a source or methodology for those audience figures.
The vote therefore leaves two questions open. The SNP has expressed support for a UK-wide ban, but the reports give no detail of how such a ban would be introduced. Within the party, members have called for a departure from X, while the immediate commitment is a review to be put before the national executive. For now, the resolution signals the conference’s view rather than a completed change in how the SNP or Scottish public bodies communicate online.
Where outlets differ
The two supplied source reports contain the same text and are both cut off during David Birkett’s remarks. They show no identifiable difference in facts or emphasis.