EXCLUSIVE Was it something Elon said? Government spent ZERO on X advertising last year amid Keir Starmers spat with Musk

Elon Musks social media site X has lost out on millions of pounds a year in revenue after the Government pulled advertising.

A MailOnline analysis of social media spending across Whitehall has revealed how departments dramatically halted their advertising on the Musk-owned site last year.

Among departments who provided a detailed breakdown of their spending on social media for 2024, none reported using taxpayers cash for advertising on X.

This compared to five departments spending £467,672 on adverts on X -  formerly known as Twitter - in 2023; and £2,058,499 in 2022.

The halt to advertising spending on X last year came amid Mr Musks public attacks on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer following Labours general election victory in July.

The analysis showed how X had been singled out among the major social media sites, on which Government departments continued to spend millions of pounds in 2024.

The Home Office, Cabinet Office, Department for Transport, Department for Work and Pensions, and Department for Business and Trade spent a combined £6,069,620 on other social media sites last year.

These included LinkedIn, Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, Nextdoor, Reddit, Snapchat, Pinterest, and TikTok.

The halt to advertising spending on X last year came amid Elon Musks public attacks on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer following Labours general election victory in July

Since Mr Musk took ownership of Twitter - which he subsequently rebranded as X - in 2022, there have been concerns about a huge spike in hate speech on the site

The Cabinet Office confirmed the Government no longer advertises on X, with decisions on Whitehall digital spending underpinned by a SAFE framework.

This involves four core principles of safety and suitability, ads context, freedom of speech, and ethics and enforcement.

It was previously revealed how the Government halted advertising on X for commercial reasons related to the effectiveness of spending on the site. 

The latest figures on Whitehall spending on social media were supplied in response to a series of written Parliamentary questions by Labour MP Josh Fenton-Glynn.

A total of 19 departments replied to Mr Fenton-Glynns questions, although some reported no social media spending whatsoever, others did not provide a detailed breakdown of spending, and some offered totals for different reporting periods.

Since Mr Musk took ownership of Twitter - which he subsequently rebranded as X - in 2022, there have been concerns about a huge spike in hate speech on the site.

There have also been fears over the moderation of content after Mr Musk sacked around 80 per cent of the firms staff following his $44billion takeover.

The worlds richest man has recently become a close ally of Donald Trump.

He now runs the Department of Government Efficiency in America, which forms part of the US Presidents efforts to slash the size of the federal government.

During widespread rioting in Britain last summer, shortly after Labours election win, Mr Musk engaged in a spat with Sir Keir by claiming civil war is inevitable.

He also used the hashtag #TwoTierKeir on his social media site, in reference to allegations of two tier policing in Britain.

But the X owner was left red-faced as he pushed false claims about the PM setting up detainment camps in the Falkland Islands for rioters.

Although the Department for Business and Trade cut its advertising spend on X to zero last year, it spent £99 on a premium subscription to the site in 2024. 

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was also among those departments to have ceased spending on X, despite spending millions of pounds on other social media sites.

It spent no money on X in 2023-24 or 2022-23, despite having spent £69,765 on X in 2021-22.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it pays for a premium subscription on X for social listening purposes, but spent no money on advertising on the site in 2023-24, 2022-23 or 2021-22.

The Department for Education also spent no money on advertising on X in 2023-24 despite spending £391,616 in 2022-23 and £276,397 in 2021-22.

The Foreign Office spent £293.77 on a premium subscription to X this year, but reported no spending on advertising on the site between 2022 and 2025.

This was despite it spending a combined £2,394,794 on other platforms over the same period.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spent £150,037 on advertising on Twitter/X in 2022/23, but reported no spending on the site for 2023-24 or 2024-25. 

Mr Musk has regularly launched attacks on Sir Keir and Labour from his account on his own social media site

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was formed in February 2023 and, since then, has spent £210.60 on social media subscriptions. 

These were two payments of £100.80 in 2023 and 2024.

It also spent £386,615.04 on social media advertisements on LinkedIn, and £64,286 on social media advertisements on Meta platforms in 2024-25.

In addition, DSIT holds a shared two-year contract - together with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) - until June this year with LinkedIn Hiring Solutions for £425,123.31.

DESNZ was also established in February 2023 and spends £84 per year on social media subscriptions.

It allocated £366,928 for spending on social media advertisements in 2023 and £545,576 in 2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spends £168 per year for a premium subscription on X and £60 per year on a Reddit subscription.

DCMS spent £75,000 on social media advertisements on Meta platforms and Snapchat in 2023-24, but gave no detailed breakdown for previous years.

HM Treasury spent no money on advertisements on social media platforms over the past three years, but paid for a recruiter licence/subscription with LinkeIn which cost £14,800 in 2023-23, £15,480 in 2023-24, and £16,500 in 2024-25.

The Scotland Office has spent £4,019 on advertisements on Facebook and Instagram so far in 2024-25, having spent £17,725 on advertisements on the same platforms in 2023-24, and £49,893 in 2022-23.

The Northern Ireland Office did not set out a detailed account of its social media spending but said it spent £9,866.43 on display advertisements across social media platforms in 2023.

This was as part of a broader marketing campaign to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The Wales Office and Attorney Generals Office spent no money on social media subscriptions or advertisements over the past three years.

The Ministry of Defence said it did not hold figures centrally for its spending on social media platforms.

Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould said: The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively.

Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact.