Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has been publicly criticised by Baroness Claire Fox following her decision to remove herself and her department from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. During an appearance on Talk TV, Fox, who serves as director of the Academy of Ideas, described Nandy's move as 'hypocritical' and accused the Labour government of silencing dissent.
Fox's Criticism on Talk TV
Speaking to Talk TV's Kevin O'Sullivan, Baroness Fox said: 'I'd remind Lisa Nandy that she runs the department for DCMS - culture, media and sport - and this is a huge media platform. The idea that she can just go "Oh, it's not the kind of media I like" is, as you suggest, there's something sinister about it.' Fox argued that Nandy's withdrawal from X forces the government into 'yet another echo chamber where they won't be answerable to the public square.'
Accusations of Hypocrisy
Fox highlighted what she saw as contradictions in Nandy's reasoning. 'The hypocrisy is that she said, "Oh well, X was set up for free speech and free expression," but then she goes on to say, "But because this platform is full of misinformation and abuse, I'm storming off." Well, we know that misinformation and abuse are two words the government regularly uses and weaponises in order to silence other people, and to actually deprive them of free speech,' Fox said.
Nandy's Announcement
Nandy announced her departure from X on Thursday afternoon, posting: 'I've decided to leave this platform and my Department will too. A platform originally designed for free speech and expression now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate. It isn't healthy for our democracy or our communities and I don't want to support it.' The announcement sparked immediate backlash, with Fox's comments adding to the humiliation.
Broader Implications
Fox warned that Nandy's decision undermines accountability. 'We all know X can be a sewer, we also know it can be a place where you actually swap ideas. It's also a place where politicians and government departments can be held to account by ordinary punters, voters, maybe people who want to criticise their decisions. So, just removing yourself from that actually just forces the government into yet another echo chamber where they won't be answerable to the public square,' she said.
