The Exodus Begins: Why a Key UK Government Office Just Abandoned X
For years, Twitter (now X) was the de facto town square for government communication. From emergency alerts to policy updates, an official presence on the platform was non-negotiable. But the landscape is shifting rapidly. In a landmark move, the UK Attorney General’s Office, led by Richard Hermer, has reportedly ceased all official posting on X.
The reason? A dangerous cocktail of rampant misinformation, unchecked racism, and the incitement of real-world violence.
Here is a breakdown of why one of the UK’s highest legal offices has decided the platform is no longer fit for public service.
The Breaking Point: Riots and Disinformation
The decision to pull the plug didn't happen in a vacuum. It follows a severe escalation of digital unrest spilling into physical violence. According to reports from The Guardian and The Observer, Hermer issued the directive to his staff following the Southampton and Belfast riots earlier this month (June 2026).
The platform became a breeding ground for far-right disinformation following two high-profile tragedies: the murder of Henry Nowak and a separate stabbing incident in Dublin. Bad actors aggressively leveraged X to spread hate directed at immigrants, a volatile situation that was reportedly exacerbated by the platform's owner, Elon Musk, who has been accused of amplifying these divisive voices.
Things escalated further when high-profile accounts began sharing doctored bodycam footage related to the Nowak case, turning a tragedy into a weaponized political tool.
The "Grok" Problem
X’s native AI, Grok, has also played a central role in driving government officials away from the platform. The AI's lack of guardrails directly contributed to the chaos in two distinct ways:
Doxxing Law Enforcement: During the fallout of the Nowak case, Grok incorrectly identified two police officers involved in the investigation. Their personal information was subsequently blasted across the internet, actively endangering law enforcement.
Deepfake Abuse: Prior to the Attorney General's Office leaving, several female UK Members of Parliament (MPs) had already abandoned their accounts. This mass exit was triggered by revelations that Grok allowed users to generate hyper-realistic, revealing images of real women and children.
The New Rules of Engagement
Prior to June 12, the Attorney General's Office was highly active, frequently posting daily updates on regional issues. Now, the feed has gone dark.
Hermer has not minced words about his stance on the platform's current trajectory. In a recent speech addressing the European Court of Human Rights, he took a veiled but unmistakable shot at the platform's leadership:
"We simply cannot let a very small group of crypto-funded millionaires of this world get away with using the debate... to sow more division in this country — we cannot allow them to draw lines between our communities."
According to internal communications, Hermer has left exactly one loophole for his staff: they are only permitted to post on X if they need to explicitly correct dangerous misinformation spreading on the platform.
What This Means for Digital Governance
This is a watershed moment for how democratic institutions interact with privately owned social media. When the platform you use to communicate with citizens becomes the primary engine actively destabilizing those same communities, the cost of participation outweighs the reach.
If X continues to operate as an unmoderated amplifier for bad actors and hallucinating AI, the UK Attorney General’s Office won't be the last government department to pack its bags. The question now isn't just who will leave next, but where they will go to safely rebuild the digital public square.
