Members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) passed a resolution on Saturday, October 17, 2026, supporting a United Kingdom-wide ban on the social media platform X. The motion, approved at the party’s annual conference in Aberdeen, also called for the SNP, elected representatives, councils, the Scottish Government, and the Scottish Parliament to cease using the site.
The resolution followed a debate regarding the platform's content standards and its impact on public discourse. X, formerly known as Twitter, was purchased by Elon Musk in 2022 and is currently owned by SpaceX’s artificial intelligence subsidiary SpaceXAI. The SNP currently maintains nearly 320,000 followers on the platform, where it frequently shares party updates and conference information.
Erin Lux, the SNP member who moved the resolution, described the platform as a source of "mis- and disinformation" and alleged it hosts harmful content, including child sexual abuse material. Lux argued that continued use of the site by public bodies lends it credibility and drives traffic toward a "right wing radicalisation machine." Conversely, SNP member David Birkett opposed the motion, citing X’s reach of 551 million monthly active users compared to 10.4 million on competing platforms like Bluesky. Birkett argued that public bodies should remain on X to provide service updates, such as travel information for trains, ferries, and roads.
The shift would require the Scottish Government and public agencies to migrate their digital communications to alternative platforms with smaller user bases. According to figures cited at the conference, X has 251 million daily active users compared to 3 million on Bluesky. A withdrawal by the Scottish Government could set a precedent for other political organizations or public bodies considering leaving the platform due to concerns over content moderation. The resolution specifically stresses the "responsible use of social media."
Following the vote, an SNP spokesperson stated that the party will now review its use of X and report findings to the national executive. The resolution does not immediately change Scottish Government policy, as it represents a party-level decision rather than a legislative act. No specific deadline was reported for the completion of the review or for the formal removal of government accounts from the platform. The proposal for a UK-wide ban would require action from the UK government, as telecommunications and internet regulation are largely reserved matters.